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Authentication

docs/gateway/authentication.md

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<Note> This page is the **model provider** authentication reference (API keys, OAuth, Claude CLI reuse, and Anthropic setup-token). For **gateway connection** authentication (token, password, trusted-proxy), see [Configuration](/gateway/configuration) and [Trusted Proxy Auth](/gateway/trusted-proxy-auth). </Note>

OpenClaw supports OAuth and API keys for model providers. For always-on gateway hosts, API keys are usually the most predictable option. Subscription/OAuth flows are also supported when they match your provider account model.

See /concepts/oauth for the full OAuth flow and storage layout. For SecretRef-based auth (env/file/exec providers), see Secrets Management. For credential eligibility/reason-code rules used by models status --probe, see Auth Credential Semantics.

Recommended setup (API key, any provider)

If you’re running a long-lived gateway, start with an API key for your chosen provider. For Anthropic specifically, API key auth is still the most predictable server setup, but OpenClaw also supports reusing a local Claude CLI login.

  1. Create an API key in your provider console.
  2. Put it on the gateway host (the machine running openclaw gateway).
bash
export <PROVIDER>_API_KEY="..."
openclaw models status
  1. If the Gateway runs under systemd/launchd, prefer putting the key in ~/.openclaw/.env so the daemon can read it:
bash
cat >> ~/.openclaw/.env <<'EOF'
<PROVIDER>_API_KEY=...
EOF

Then restart the daemon (or restart your Gateway process) and re-check:

bash
openclaw models status
openclaw doctor

If you’d rather not manage env vars yourself, onboarding can store API keys for daemon use: openclaw onboard.

See Help for details on env inheritance (env.shellEnv, ~/.openclaw/.env, systemd/launchd).

Anthropic: Claude CLI and token compatibility

Anthropic setup-token auth is still available in OpenClaw as a supported token path. Anthropic staff has since told us that OpenClaw-style Claude CLI usage is allowed again, so OpenClaw treats Claude CLI reuse and claude -p usage as sanctioned for this integration unless Anthropic publishes a new policy. When Claude CLI reuse is available on the host, that is now the preferred path.

For long-lived gateway hosts, an Anthropic API key is still the most predictable setup. If you want to reuse an existing Claude login on the same host, use the Anthropic Claude CLI path in onboarding/configure.

Recommended host setup for Claude CLI reuse:

bash
# Run on the gateway host
claude auth login
claude auth status --text
openclaw models auth login --provider anthropic --method cli --set-default

This is a two-step setup:

  1. Log Claude Code itself into Anthropic on the gateway host.
  2. Tell OpenClaw to switch Anthropic model selection to the local claude-cli backend and store the matching OpenClaw auth profile.

If claude is not on PATH, either install Claude Code first or set agents.defaults.cliBackends.claude-cli.command to the real binary path.

Manual token entry (any provider; writes auth-profiles.json + updates config):

bash
openclaw models auth paste-token --provider openrouter

auth-profiles.json stores credentials only. The canonical shape is:

json
{
  "version": 1,
  "profiles": {
    "openrouter:default": {
      "type": "api_key",
      "provider": "openrouter",
      "key": "OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

OpenClaw expects the canonical version + profiles shape at runtime. If an older install still has a flat file such as { "openrouter": { "apiKey": "..." } }, run openclaw doctor --fix to rewrite it as an openrouter:default API-key profile; doctor keeps a .legacy-flat.*.bak copy beside the original. Endpoint details such as baseUrl, api, model ids, headers, and timeouts belong under models.providers.<id> in openclaw.json or models.json, not in auth-profiles.json.

Auth profile refs are also supported for static credentials:

  • api_key credentials can use keyRef: { source, provider, id }
  • token credentials can use tokenRef: { source, provider, id }
  • OAuth-mode profiles do not support SecretRef credentials; if auth.profiles.<id>.mode is set to "oauth", SecretRef-backed keyRef/tokenRef input for that profile is rejected.

Automation-friendly check (exit 1 when expired/missing, 2 when expiring):

bash
openclaw models status --check

Live auth probes:

bash
openclaw models status --probe

Notes:

  • Probe rows can come from auth profiles, env credentials, or models.json.
  • If explicit auth.order.<provider> omits a stored profile, probe reports excluded_by_auth_order for that profile instead of trying it.
  • If auth exists but OpenClaw cannot resolve a probeable model candidate for that provider, probe reports status: no_model.
  • Rate-limit cooldowns can be model-scoped. A profile cooling down for one model can still be usable for a sibling model on the same provider.

Optional ops scripts (systemd/Termux) are documented here: Auth monitoring scripts

Anthropic note

The Anthropic claude-cli backend is supported again.

  • Anthropic staff told us this OpenClaw integration path is allowed again.
  • OpenClaw therefore treats Claude CLI reuse and claude -p usage as sanctioned for Anthropic-backed runs unless Anthropic publishes a new policy.
  • Anthropic API keys remain the most predictable choice for long-lived gateway hosts and explicit server-side billing control.

Checking model auth status

bash
openclaw models status
openclaw doctor

API key rotation behavior (gateway)

Some providers support retrying a request with alternative keys when an API call hits a provider rate limit.

  • Priority order:
    • OPENCLAW_LIVE_<PROVIDER>_KEY (single override)
    • <PROVIDER>_API_KEYS
    • <PROVIDER>_API_KEY
    • <PROVIDER>_API_KEY_*
  • Google providers also include GOOGLE_API_KEY as an additional fallback.
  • The same key list is deduplicated before use.
  • OpenClaw retries with the next key only for rate-limit errors (for example 429, rate_limit, quota, resource exhausted, Too many concurrent requests, ThrottlingException, concurrency limit reached, or workers_ai ... quota limit exceeded).
  • Non-rate-limit errors are not retried with alternate keys.
  • If all keys fail, the final error from the last attempt is returned.

Controlling which credential is used

Per-session (chat command)

Use /model <alias-or-id>@<profileId> to pin a specific provider credential for the current session (example profile ids: anthropic:default, anthropic:work).

Use /model (or /model list) for a compact picker; use /model status for the full view (candidates + next auth profile, plus provider endpoint details when configured).

Per-agent (CLI override)

Set an explicit auth profile order override for an agent (stored in that agent’s auth-state.json):

bash
openclaw models auth order get --provider anthropic
openclaw models auth order set --provider anthropic anthropic:default
openclaw models auth order clear --provider anthropic

Use --agent <id> to target a specific agent; omit it to use the configured default agent. When you debug order issues, openclaw models status --probe shows omitted stored profiles as excluded_by_auth_order instead of silently skipping them. When you debug cooldown issues, remember that rate-limit cooldowns can be tied to one model id rather than the whole provider profile.

Troubleshooting

"No credentials found"

If the Anthropic profile is missing, configure an Anthropic API key on the gateway host or set up the Anthropic setup-token path, then re-check:

bash
openclaw models status

Token expiring/expired

Run openclaw models status to confirm which profile is expiring. If an Anthropic token profile is missing or expired, refresh that setup via setup-token or migrate to an Anthropic API key.