OpenClaw

OpenClaw is an AI coding assistant CLI that supports connecting to OpenAI-compatible API services through custom Providers. The official recommendation is to complete the configuration with the openclaw onboard wizard, but you can also write the configuration file by hand.

PrerequisitesCopy anchor link

Make sure your system meets the following requirements:

• Node.js 22 or later
• macOS / Linux / Windows
• pnpm, if building from source

Install Node.jsCopy anchor link

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install node

Other systems:

Download the LTS version from the Node.js website: https://nodejs.org/en/download

Verify the installationCopy anchor link

node -v
npm -v

Note: Windows users are advised to run OpenClaw inside WSL2.

Install OpenClawCopy anchor link

Use the official install script (recommended):

macOS / LinuxCopy anchor link

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShellCopy anchor link

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

The install script automatically detects and installs missing dependencies. If you already manage your own Node environment, you can also install with npm or pnpm (see the official documentation for details).

Run the onboarding wizardCopy anchor link

Run the wizard command:

openclaw onboard

Fill in the following in the wizard:

• Provider type: choose Custom Provider
• Compatibility: choose OpenAI-compatible
• Base URL: https://aicentos.com/v1
• API Key: your API Key
• Model ID: a model name from the Model Gallery in the console
• Endpoint ID: aicentos is recommended

Note: just enter the API Key in plain text — there is no need to convert it to the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable.

Set the default modelCopy anchor link

After the wizard completes, set the default model to:

aicentos/gpt-4o

Subsequent usage will then automatically use the configured model.

Manual configuration (optional)Copy anchor link

If you skip the wizard, you can write OpenClaw's provider configuration file directly:

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "aicentos": {
        "baseUrl": "https://aicentos.com/v1",
        "apiKey": "your_api_key_here",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "models": [
          { "id": "gpt-4o", "name": "gpt-4o" }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": { "primary": "aicentos/gpt-4o" }
    }
  }
}

The configuration accepts the API Key in plain text, or an environment variable reference if you prefer the SecretRef approach.

Verify the configurationCopy anchor link

Check the model status to confirm the connection works:

openclaw models list
openclaw models status

If you can see aicentos/gpt-4o with a healthy status, the integration is configured successfully.

NotesCopy anchor link

• OpenClaw officially supports custom Providers, with a choice of OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible modes
• For this service, prefer the OpenAI-compatible mode
• Entering the API Key directly is the default approach; environment variable references are just an alternative
• If you want a tool to write the configuration for you, consider cc-switch
• The official documentation covers other installation and configuration options — choose whatever fits your needs

Related linksCopy anchor link

• Official documentation: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/index