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Providers

Ollama Cloud

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Ollama Cloud is Ollama's hosted model API. It lets OpenClaw call Ollama-hosted models directly, without installing a local Ollama server or signing a local Ollama app into cloud mode. Use provider id ollama-cloud and model refs like ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.6.

This page is for direct cloud-only routing. The provider uses Ollama's native /api/chat style, not the OpenAI-compatible /v1 route. OpenClaw registers it as a separate provider id so cloud-only credentials, live catalog discovery, and model selection do not get mixed with a local ollama host.

Use this page when you want cloud-only routing. For local Ollama, hybrid cloud-plus-local routing, embeddings, and custom host details, see Ollama.

Setup

Create an Ollama Cloud API key at ollama.com/settings/keys, then run:

bash
openclaw onboard --auth-choice ollama-cloud

Or set:

bash
export OLLAMA_API_KEY="<your-ollama-cloud-api-key>" # pragma: allowlist secret

Defaults

  • Provider: ollama-cloud
  • Base URL: https://ollama.com
  • Env var: OLLAMA_API_KEY
  • API style: Ollama native /api/chat
  • Example model: ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.6

When to choose Ollama Cloud

  • You want hosted Ollama models without running ollama serve locally.
  • You want the same native Ollama chat API shape OpenClaw uses for local Ollama, but pointed at https://ollama.com.
  • You want a simple cloud path for models that are already in Ollama's hosted catalog.
  • You do not need local model pulls, local GPU control, or LAN-only inference.

Use Ollama instead when you want local-only or cloud-plus-local routing through a signed-in Ollama host. Use an OpenAI-compatible provider instead when you need /v1/chat/completions semantics or provider-specific OpenAI-style features.

Models

OpenClaw discovers Ollama Cloud models from the live hosted catalog. Commonly available hosted ids include:

  • ollama-cloud/gpt-oss:20b
  • ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.6
  • ollama-cloud/deepseek-v4-flash
  • ollama-cloud/minimax-m2.7
  • ollama-cloud/glm-5

Use a model id from your current hosted catalog:

bash
openclaw models list --provider ollama-cloudopenclaw models set ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.6

Model ids are cloud catalog ids, not local pull names. If a model name works in a local Ollama host but is absent from the hosted catalog, use the ollama provider with that local host instead.

Live test

For Ollama Cloud API-key smoke tests, point the Ollama live test at the hosted endpoint and choose a model from your current catalog:

bash
export OLLAMA_API_KEY="<your-ollama-cloud-api-key>" # pragma: allowlist secret OPENCLAW_LIVE_TEST=1 \OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA=1 \OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA_BASE_URL=https://ollama.com \OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA_MODEL=kimi-k2.6 \OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA_WEB_SEARCH=1 \pnpm test:live -- extensions/ollama/ollama.live.test.ts

The cloud smoke runs text, native stream, and web search. It skips embeddings by default for https://ollama.com because Ollama Cloud API keys may not authorize /api/embed.

Troubleshooting

  • Set OLLAMA_API_KEY errors: provide a real cloud API key. The local ollama-local marker is only for local or private Ollama hosts.
  • Unknown model errors: run openclaw models list --provider ollama-cloud and copy the hosted model id exactly.
  • Tool-call or raw JSON issues on custom Ollama hosts: check whether you are accidentally using an OpenAI-compatible /v1 URL. Ollama routes should use the native base URL with no /v1 suffix.
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