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Kilo Gateway Provider Integration Design

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Overview

This document outlines the design for integrating “Kilo Gateway” as a first-class provider in OpenClaw, modeled after the existing OpenRouter implementation. Kilo Gateway uses an OpenAI-compatible completions API with a different base URL.

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Design Decisions

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1. Provider Naming

Recommendation: kilocode Rationale:
  • Matches the user config example provided (kilocode provider key)
  • Consistent with existing provider naming patterns (e.g., openrouter, opencode, moonshot)
  • Short and memorable
  • Avoids confusion with generic “kilo” or “gateway” terms
Alternative considered: kilo-gateway - rejected because hyphenated names are less common in the codebase and kilocode is more concise.

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2. Default Model Reference

Recommendation: kilocode/anthropic/claude-opus-4.6 Rationale:
  • Based on user config example
  • Claude Opus 4.5 is a capable default model
  • Explicit model selection avoids reliance on auto-routing

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3. Base URL Configuration

Recommendation: Hardcoded default with config override
  • Default Base URL: https://api.kilo.ai/api/gateway/
  • Configurable: Yes, via models.providers.kilocode.baseUrl
This matches the pattern used by other providers like Moonshot, Venice, and Synthetic.

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4. Model Scanning

Recommendation: No dedicated model scanning endpoint initially Rationale:
  • Kilo Gateway proxies to OpenRouter, so models are dynamic
  • Users can manually configure models in their config
  • If Kilo Gateway exposes a /models endpoint in the future, scanning can be added

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5. Special Handling

Recommendation: Inherit OpenRouter behavior for Anthropic models Since Kilo Gateway proxies to OpenRouter, the same special handling should apply:
  • Cache TTL eligibility for anthropic/* models
  • Extra params (cacheControlTtl) for anthropic/* models
  • Transcript policy follows OpenRouter patterns

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Files to Modify

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Core Credential Management

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1. src/commands/onboard-auth.credentials.ts

Add: 
export const KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF = "kilocode/anthropic/claude-opus-4.6";

export async function setKilocodeApiKey(key: string, agentDir?: string) {
  upsertAuthProfile({
    profileId: "kilocode:default",
    credential: {
      type: "api_key",
      provider: "kilocode",
      key,
    },
    agentDir: resolveAuthAgentDir(agentDir),
  });
}

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2. src/agents/model-auth.ts

Add to envMap in resolveEnvApiKey(): 
const envMap: Record<string, string> = {
  // ... existing entries
  kilocode: "KILOCODE_API_KEY",
};

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3. src/config/io.ts

Add to SHELL_ENV_EXPECTED_KEYS: 
const SHELL_ENV_EXPECTED_KEYS = [
  // ... existing entries
  "KILOCODE_API_KEY",
];

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Config Application

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4. src/commands/onboard-auth.config-core.ts

Add new functions: 
export const KILOCODE_BASE_URL = "https://api.kilo.ai/api/gateway/";

export function applyKilocodeProviderConfig(cfg: OpenClawConfig): OpenClawConfig {
  const models = { ...cfg.agents?.defaults?.models };
  models[KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF] = {
    ...models[KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF],
    alias: models[KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF]?.alias ?? "Kilo Gateway",
  };

  const providers = { ...cfg.models?.providers };
  const existingProvider = providers.kilocode;
  const { apiKey: existingApiKey, ...existingProviderRest } = (existingProvider ?? {}) as Record<
    string,
    unknown
  > as { apiKey?: string };
  const resolvedApiKey = typeof existingApiKey === "string" ? existingApiKey : undefined;
  const normalizedApiKey = resolvedApiKey?.trim();

  providers.kilocode = {
    ...existingProviderRest,
    baseUrl: KILOCODE_BASE_URL,
    api: "openai-completions",
    ...(normalizedApiKey ? { apiKey: normalizedApiKey } : {}),
  };

  return {
    ...cfg,
    agents: {
      ...cfg.agents,
      defaults: {
        ...cfg.agents?.defaults,
        models,
      },
    },
    models: {
      mode: cfg.models?.mode ?? "merge",
      providers,
    },
  };
}

export function applyKilocodeConfig(cfg: OpenClawConfig): OpenClawConfig {
  const next = applyKilocodeProviderConfig(cfg);
  const existingModel = next.agents?.defaults?.model;
  return {
    ...next,
    agents: {
      ...next.agents,
      defaults: {
        ...next.agents?.defaults,
        model: {
          ...(existingModel && "fallbacks" in (existingModel as Record<string, unknown>)
            ? {
                fallbacks: (existingModel as { fallbacks?: string[] }).fallbacks,
              }
            : undefined),
          primary: KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF,
        },
      },
    },
  };
}

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Auth Choice System

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5. src/commands/onboard-types.ts

Add to AuthChoice type: 
export type AuthChoice =
  // ... existing choices
  "kilocode-api-key";
// ...
Add to OnboardOptions: 
export type OnboardOptions = {
  // ... existing options
  kilocodeApiKey?: string;
  // ...
};

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6. src/commands/auth-choice-options.ts

Add to AuthChoiceGroupId: 
export type AuthChoiceGroupId =
  // ... existing groups
  "kilocode";
// ...
Add to AUTH_CHOICE_GROUP_DEFS: 
{
  value: "kilocode",
  label: "Kilo Gateway",
  hint: "API key (OpenRouter-compatible)",
  choices: ["kilocode-api-key"],
},
Add to buildAuthChoiceOptions(): 
options.push({
  value: "kilocode-api-key",
  label: "Kilo Gateway API key",
  hint: "OpenRouter-compatible gateway",
});

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7. src/commands/auth-choice.preferred-provider.ts

Add mapping: 
const PREFERRED_PROVIDER_BY_AUTH_CHOICE: Partial<Record<AuthChoice, string>> = {
  // ... existing mappings
  "kilocode-api-key": "kilocode",
};

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Auth Choice Application

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8. src/commands/auth-choice.apply.api-providers.ts

Add import: 
import {
  // ... existing imports
  applyKilocodeConfig,
  applyKilocodeProviderConfig,
  KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF,
  setKilocodeApiKey,
} from "./onboard-auth.js";
Add handling for kilocode-api-key: 
if (authChoice === "kilocode-api-key") {
  const store = ensureAuthProfileStore(params.agentDir, {
    allowKeychainPrompt: false,
  });
  const profileOrder = resolveAuthProfileOrder({
    cfg: nextConfig,
    store,
    provider: "kilocode",
  });
  const existingProfileId = profileOrder.find((profileId) => Boolean(store.profiles[profileId]));
  const existingCred = existingProfileId ? store.profiles[existingProfileId] : undefined;
  let profileId = "kilocode:default";
  let mode: "api_key" | "oauth" | "token" = "api_key";
  let hasCredential = false;

  if (existingProfileId && existingCred?.type) {
    profileId = existingProfileId;
    mode =
      existingCred.type === "oauth" ? "oauth" : existingCred.type === "token" ? "token" : "api_key";
    hasCredential = true;
  }

  if (!hasCredential && params.opts?.token && params.opts?.tokenProvider === "kilocode") {
    await setKilocodeApiKey(normalizeApiKeyInput(params.opts.token), params.agentDir);
    hasCredential = true;
  }

  if (!hasCredential) {
    const envKey = resolveEnvApiKey("kilocode");
    if (envKey) {
      const useExisting = await params.prompter.confirm({
        message: `Use existing KILOCODE_API_KEY (${envKey.source}, ${formatApiKeyPreview(envKey.apiKey)})?`,
        initialValue: true,
      });
      if (useExisting) {
        await setKilocodeApiKey(envKey.apiKey, params.agentDir);
        hasCredential = true;
      }
    }
  }

  if (!hasCredential) {
    const key = await params.prompter.text({
      message: "Enter Kilo Gateway API key",
      validate: validateApiKeyInput,
    });
    await setKilocodeApiKey(normalizeApiKeyInput(String(key)), params.agentDir);
    hasCredential = true;
  }

  if (hasCredential) {
    nextConfig = applyAuthProfileConfig(nextConfig, {
      profileId,
      provider: "kilocode",
      mode,
    });
  }
  {
    const applied = await applyDefaultModelChoice({
      config: nextConfig,
      setDefaultModel: params.setDefaultModel,
      defaultModel: KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF,
      applyDefaultConfig: applyKilocodeConfig,
      applyProviderConfig: applyKilocodeProviderConfig,
      noteDefault: KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF,
      noteAgentModel,
      prompter: params.prompter,
    });
    nextConfig = applied.config;
    agentModelOverride = applied.agentModelOverride ?? agentModelOverride;
  }
  return { config: nextConfig, agentModelOverride };
}
Also add tokenProvider mapping at the top of the function: 
if (params.opts.tokenProvider === "kilocode") {
  authChoice = "kilocode-api-key";
}

​
CLI Registration

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9. src/cli/program/register.onboard.ts

Add CLI option: 
.option("--kilocode-api-key <key>", "Kilo Gateway API key")
Add to action handler: 
kilocodeApiKey: opts.kilocodeApiKey as string | undefined,
Update auth-choice help text: 
.option(
  "--auth-choice <choice>",
  "Auth: setup-token|token|chutes|openai-codex|openai-api-key|openrouter-api-key|kilocode-api-key|ai-gateway-api-key|...",
)

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Non-Interactive Onboarding

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10. src/commands/onboard-non-interactive/local/auth-choice.ts

Add handling for kilocode-api-key: 
if (authChoice === "kilocode-api-key") {
  const resolved = await resolveNonInteractiveApiKey({
    provider: "kilocode",
    cfg: baseConfig,
    flagValue: opts.kilocodeApiKey,
    flagName: "--kilocode-api-key",
    envVar: "KILOCODE_API_KEY",
  });
  await setKilocodeApiKey(resolved.apiKey, agentDir);
  nextConfig = applyAuthProfileConfig(nextConfig, {
    profileId: "kilocode:default",
    provider: "kilocode",
    mode: "api_key",
  });
  // ... apply default model
}

​
Export Updates

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11. src/commands/onboard-auth.ts

Add exports: 
export {
  // ... existing exports
  applyKilocodeConfig,
  applyKilocodeProviderConfig,
  KILOCODE_BASE_URL,
} from "./onboard-auth.config-core.js";

export {
  // ... existing exports
  KILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF,
  setKilocodeApiKey,
} from "./onboard-auth.credentials.js";

​
Special Handling (Optional)

​
12. src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/cache-ttl.ts

Add Kilo Gateway support for Anthropic models: 
export function isCacheTtlEligibleProvider(provider: string, modelId: string): boolean {
  const normalizedProvider = provider.toLowerCase();
  const normalizedModelId = modelId.toLowerCase();
  if (normalizedProvider === "anthropic") return true;
  if (normalizedProvider === "openrouter" && normalizedModelId.startsWith("anthropic/"))
    return true;
  if (normalizedProvider === "kilocode" && normalizedModelId.startsWith("anthropic/")) return true;
  return false;
}

​
13. src/agents/transcript-policy.ts

Add Kilo Gateway handling (similar to OpenRouter): 
const isKilocodeGemini = provider === "kilocode" && modelId.toLowerCase().includes("gemini");

// Include in needsNonImageSanitize check
const needsNonImageSanitize =
  isGoogle || isAnthropic || isMistral || isOpenRouterGemini || isKilocodeGemini;

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Configuration Structure

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User Config Example

{
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "kilocode": {
        "baseUrl": "https://api.kilo.ai/api/gateway/",
        "apiKey": "xxxxx",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "anthropic/claude-opus-4.6",
            "name": "Anthropic: Claude Opus 4.6"
          },
          { "id": "minimax/minimax-m2.1:free", "name": "Minimax: Minimax M2.1" }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

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Auth Profile Structure

{
  "profiles": {
    "kilocode:default": {
      "type": "api_key",
      "provider": "kilocode",
      "key": "xxxxx"
    }
  }
}

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Testing Considerations

  1. Unit Tests:
    • Test setKilocodeApiKey() writes correct profile
    • Test applyKilocodeConfig() sets correct defaults
    • Test resolveEnvApiKey("kilocode") returns correct env var
  2. Integration Tests:
    • Test onboarding flow with --auth-choice kilocode-api-key
    • Test non-interactive onboarding with --kilocode-api-key
    • Test model selection with kilocode/ prefix
  3. E2E Tests:
    • Test actual API calls through Kilo Gateway (live tests)

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Migration Notes

  • No migration needed for existing users
  • New users can immediately use kilocode-api-key auth choice
  • Existing manual config with kilocode provider will continue to work

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Future Considerations

  1. Model Catalog: If Kilo Gateway exposes a /models endpoint, add scanning support similar to scanOpenRouterModels()
  2. OAuth Support: If Kilo Gateway adds OAuth, extend the auth system accordingly
  3. Rate Limiting: Consider adding rate limit handling specific to Kilo Gateway if needed
  4. Documentation: Add docs at docs/providers/kilocode.md explaining setup and usage

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Summary of Changes

FileChange TypeDescription
src/commands/onboard-auth.credentials.tsAddKILOCODE_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF, setKilocodeApiKey()
src/agents/model-auth.tsModifyAdd kilocode to envMap
src/config/io.tsModifyAdd KILOCODE_API_KEY to shell env keys
src/commands/onboard-auth.config-core.tsAddapplyKilocodeProviderConfig(), applyKilocodeConfig()
src/commands/onboard-types.tsModifyAdd kilocode-api-key to AuthChoice, add kilocodeApiKey to options
src/commands/auth-choice-options.tsModifyAdd kilocode group and option
src/commands/auth-choice.preferred-provider.tsModifyAdd kilocode-api-key mapping
src/commands/auth-choice.apply.api-providers.tsModifyAdd kilocode-api-key handling
src/cli/program/register.onboard.tsModifyAdd --kilocode-api-key option
src/commands/onboard-non-interactive/local/auth-choice.tsModifyAdd non-interactive handling
src/commands/onboard-auth.tsModifyExport new functions
src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/cache-ttl.tsModifyAdd kilocode support
src/agents/transcript-policy.tsModifyAdd kilocode Gemini handling