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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt

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Experimental features in OpenClaw are opt-in preview surfaces. They are behind explicit flags because they still need real-world mileage before they deserve a stable default or a long-lived public contract. Treat them differently from normal config:
  • Keep them off by default unless the related doc tells you to try one.
  • Expect shape and behavior to change faster than stable config.
  • Prefer the stable path first when one already exists.
  • If you are rolling OpenClaw out broadly, test experimental flags in a smaller environment before baking them into a shared baseline.

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Currently documented flags

SurfaceKeyUse it whenMore
Local model runtimeagents.defaults.experimental.localModelLeanA smaller or stricter local backend chokes on OpenClaw’s full default tool surfaceLocal Models
Memory searchagents.defaults.memorySearch.experimental.sessionMemoryYou want memory_search to index prior session transcripts and accept the extra storage/indexing costMemory configuration reference
Structured planning tooltools.experimental.planToolYou want the structured update_plan tool exposed for multi-step work tracking in compatible runtimes and UIsGateway configuration reference

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Local model lean mode

agents.defaults.experimental.localModelLean: true is a pressure-release valve for weaker local-model setups. When it is on, OpenClaw drops three default tools — browser, cron, and message — from the agent’s tool surface for every turn. Nothing else changes.

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Why these three tools

These three tools have the largest descriptions and the most parameter shapes in the default OpenClaw runtime. On a small-context or stricter OpenAI-compatible backend that is the difference between:
  • Tool schemas fitting cleanly in the prompt vs. crowding out conversation history.
  • The model picking the right tool vs. emitting malformed tool calls because there are too many similar-looking schemas.
  • The Chat Completions adapter staying inside the server’s structured-output limits vs. tripping a 400 on tool-call payload size.
Removing them does not silently rewire OpenClaw — it just makes the tool list shorter. The model still has read, write, edit, exec, apply_patch, web search/fetch (when configured), memory, and session/agent tools available.

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When to turn it on

Enable lean mode when you have already proved the model can talk to the Gateway but full agent turns misbehave. The typical signal chain is:
  1. openclaw infer model run --gateway --model <ref> --prompt "Reply with exactly: pong" succeeds.
  2. A normal agent turn fails with malformed tool calls, oversized prompts, or the model ignoring its tools.
  3. Toggling localModelLean: true clears the failure.

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When to leave it off

If your backend handles the full default runtime cleanly, leave this off. Lean mode is a workaround, not a default. It exists because some local stacks need a smaller tool surface to behave; hosted models and well-resourced local rigs do not. Lean mode also does not replace tools.profile, tools.allow/tools.deny, or the model compat.supportsTools: false escape hatch. If you need a permanent narrower tool surface for a specific agent, prefer those stable knobs over the experimental flag.

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Enable

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      experimental: {
        localModelLean: true,
      },
    },
  },
}
Restart the Gateway after changing the flag, then confirm the trimmed tool list with: 
openclaw status --deep
The deep status output lists the active agent tools; browser, cron, and message should be absent when lean mode is on.

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Experimental does not mean hidden

If a feature is experimental, OpenClaw should say so plainly in docs and in the config path itself. What it should not do is smuggle preview behavior into a stable-looking default knob and pretend that is normal. That’s how config surfaces get messy.