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Providers

LiteLLM

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LiteLLM is an open-source LLM gateway that provides a unified API to 100+ model providers. Route OpenClaw through LiteLLM to get centralized cost tracking, logging, and the flexibility to switch backends without changing your OpenClaw config.

Quick start

Onboarding (recommended)

Best for: fastest path to a working LiteLLM setup.

  • Run onboarding

    bash
    openclaw onboard --auth-choice litellm-api-key

    For non-interactive setup against a remote proxy, pass the proxy URL explicitly:

    bash
    openclaw onboard --non-interactive --auth-choice litellm-api-key --litellm-api-key "$LITELLM_API_KEY" --custom-base-url "https://litellm.example/v1"

    • Manual setup

    Best for: full control over installation and config.

  • Start LiteLLM Proxy

    bash
    pip install 'litellm[proxy]'litellm --model claude-opus-4-6

  • Point OpenClaw to LiteLLM

    bash
    export LITELLM_API_KEY="your-litellm-key" openclaw

    That's it. OpenClaw now routes through LiteLLM.

    • Configuration

    Environment variables

    bash
    export LITELLM_API_KEY="sk-litellm-key"

    Config file

    json5
    {  models: {    providers: {      litellm: {        baseUrl: "http://localhost:4000",        apiKey: "${LITELLM_API_KEY}",        api: "openai-completions",        models: [          {            id: "claude-opus-4-6",            name: "Claude Opus 4.6",            reasoning: true,            input: ["text", "image"],            contextWindow: 200000,            maxTokens: 64000,          },          {            id: "gpt-4o",            name: "GPT-4o",            reasoning: false,            input: ["text", "image"],            contextWindow: 128000,            maxTokens: 8192,          },        ],      },    },  },  agents: {    defaults: {      model: { primary: "litellm/claude-opus-4-6" },    },  },}

    Advanced configuration

    Image generation

    LiteLLM can also back the image_generate tool through OpenAI-compatible /images/generations and /images/edits routes. Configure a LiteLLM image model under agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel:

    json5
    {  models: {    providers: {      litellm: {        baseUrl: "http://localhost:4000",        apiKey: "${LITELLM_API_KEY}",      },    },  },  agents: {    defaults: {      imageGenerationModel: {        primary: "litellm/gpt-image-2",        timeoutMs: 180_000,      },    },  },}

    Loopback LiteLLM URLs such as http://localhost:4000 work without a global private-network override. For a LAN-hosted proxy, set models.providers.litellm.request.allowPrivateNetwork: true because the API key will be sent to the configured proxy host.

    Virtual keys

    Create a dedicated key for OpenClaw with spend limits:

    bash
    curl -X POST "http://localhost:4000/key/generate" \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LITELLM_MASTER_KEY" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{    "key_alias": "openclaw",    "max_budget": 50.00,    "budget_duration": "monthly"  }'

    Use the generated key as LITELLM_API_KEY.

    Model routing

    LiteLLM can route model requests to different backends. Configure in your LiteLLM config.yaml:

    yaml
    model_list:  - model_name: claude-opus-4-6    litellm_params:      model: claude-opus-4-6      api_key: os.environ/ANTHROPIC_API_KEY   - model_name: gpt-4o    litellm_params:      model: gpt-4o      api_key: os.environ/OPENAI_API_KEY

    OpenClaw keeps requesting claude-opus-4-6 — LiteLLM handles the routing.

    Viewing usage

    Check LiteLLM's dashboard or API:

    bash
    # Key infocurl "http://localhost:4000/key/info" \  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-litellm-key" # Spend logscurl "http://localhost:4000/spend/logs" \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LITELLM_MASTER_KEY"
    Proxy behavior notes
    • LiteLLM runs on http://localhost:4000 by default
    • OpenClaw connects through LiteLLM's proxy-style OpenAI-compatible /v1 endpoint
    • Native OpenAI-only request shaping does not apply through LiteLLM: no service_tier, no Responses store, no prompt-cache hints, and no OpenAI reasoning-compat payload shaping
    • Hidden OpenClaw attribution headers (originator, version, User-Agent) are not injected on custom LiteLLM base URLs
    LiteLLM Docs

    Official LiteLLM documentation and API reference.
    Model selection

    Overview of all providers, model refs, and failover behavior.
    Configuration

    Full config reference.
    Model selection

    How to choose and configure models.
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