OpenClaw

Connect OpenClaw to APIClaw and optionally attach global messaging channels like Telegram and WhatsApp.

OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant platform. Add APIClaw as an OpenAI-compatible model provider in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.

Recommended setup path

• Experienced users: merge the provider block below into your existing ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.
• New users: install OpenClaw, run onboarding, then add the APIClaw provider.
• Existing configs: never overwrite the full file; merge only models, agents, and channels fields.

Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22+.

node --version
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
# or
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard

During onboarding, you can skip the default model provider and configure APIClaw manually afterward.

Configure APIClaw credentials

Replace YOUR_APICLAW_API_KEY and YOUR_MODEL_ID with your real values.

Web UI method

openclaw dashboard

Open Settings > Advanced and merge this configuration:

{
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "apiclaw": {
        "baseUrl": "https://apiclaw.biz/v1",
        "apiKey": "YOUR_APICLAW_API_KEY",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "YOUR_MODEL_ID",
            "name": "YOUR_MODEL_ID",
            "reasoning": false,
            "input": ["text", "image"],
            "contextWindow": 200000,
            "maxTokens": 8192
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "apiclaw/YOUR_MODEL_ID"
      },
      "models": {
        "apiclaw/YOUR_MODEL_ID": {}
      }
    }
  }
}

Terminal method

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw
nano ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Paste and merge the JSON above, then restart OpenClaw. Use /model in chat to confirm the active model.

Messaging channels

After the model works, add channels in the same openclaw.json. Do not overwrite existing models or agents blocks.

Telegram

Create a bot with @BotFather, then add:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN",
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "groups": { "*": { "requireMention": true } }
    }
  }
}

Set the token in config or via TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN for the default account.

WhatsApp

Link WhatsApp through the OpenClaw gateway:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Example config:

{
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "allowFrom": ["+15551234567"],
      "groups": { "*": { "requireMention": true } }
    }
  }
}

Discord

{
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN",
      "dm": { "enabled": true, "allowFrom": ["YOUR_DISCORD_USER_ID"] }
    }
  }
}

Slack

{
  "channels": {
    "slack": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "xoxb-your-slack-bot-token"
    }
  }
}

For production, prefer dmPolicy: "allowlist" and restrict allowFrom to trusted users.

Useful commands

Troubleshooting

Wrong model ID

Copy the exact model ID from the model hub for your account.

Requests not appearing

Check usage logs and confirm the API key belongs to the same account.