OpenClaw Model Optimizer#

Optimize openclaw.json model configurations by declaring model capabilities that OpenClaw cannot auto-detect.

Problem#

OpenClaw does not auto-detect model capabilities from providers. Without explicit declarations, features like vision input, large context windows, extended output, and reasoning mode remain disabled — even when the underlying model and API fully support them.

Workflow#

1. Read ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
2. Back up the config — copy ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak before making any changes
3. Identify all configured models under models.providers
4. Check if agents.defaults.models exists with capability declarations for each model
5. For missing or incomplete declarations, ask the user to confirm each model's capabilities
6. Add the agents.defaults.models block with proper declarations
7. Remind user to restart OpenClaw for changes to take effect

Capability Fields#

Declare capabilities in agents.defaults.models using the provider-id/model-id key format:

json

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "models": {
        "provider-id/model-id": {
          "input": ["text", "image"],
          "contextWindow": 256000,
          "maxTokens": 16384,
          "reasoning": true
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Field Reference#

FieldTypeDescriptioninput``string[]Supported input modalities: "text", "image". Default if omitted: ["text"] only — vision disabledcontextWindow``numberMax input context in tokens. Default if omitted: conservative fallback — may truncate long conversationsmaxTokens``numberMax output tokens per response. Default if omitted: conservative fallback — long responses get cut offreasoning``booleanWhether model supports extended thinking/CoT. Default if omitted: false

Common Model Capabilities#

Reference for popular models (always verify with user before applying):

See references/model-capabilities.md for known model defaults.

Important Notes#

• Always back up openclaw.json to openclaw.json.bak before modifying — never edit the config without a backup
• Always confirm capabilities with the user — API endpoints may differ from model defaults
• The provider-id/model-id key must match exactly what appears in models.providers and agents.defaults.model.primary
• Do not overwrite existing capability declarations without user consent