Prerequisites
- OpenClaw v2026.1.30+
- Node.js 22.16+
- An Arbytra API key
Install OpenClaw
Install via npm:Set your API key
Export your API key:ak_live_ (production) or ak_test_ (testing).
To persist across terminal sessions, add this line to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc.
Reload your shell after saving:
openclaw onboard --install-daemon, also register the key with the daemon:
${ARBYTRA_API_KEY} from the config file.
Configure the provider
Create or update~/.openclaw/openclaw.json with the Arbytra provider:
models array uses bare IDs (claude-sonnet-4-6) matching what Arbytra’s API expects. The agents.defaults.models object uses prefixed IDs (arbytra/claude-sonnet-4-6). OpenClaw doesn’t route to a model unless it appears in both places.
models.mode: "merge" keeps OpenClaw’s bundled providers alongside Arbytra. If you already have a config from openclaw onboard, merge the arbytra provider into your existing models.providers object and add the arbytra/ entries to your existing agents.defaults.models.
${ARBYTRA_API_KEY} reads your environment variable. Don’t paste your key into the config.
agentRuntime: { id: "pi" } selects the embedded agent harness. Without it, OpenClaw defaults to codex which requires a separate binary.
Verify
Test that the connection works:Use different models
Switch the active model from the CLI:/model arbytra/<id>.
Models available through Arbytra:
To use a model not in this list, add its bare ID to
models.providers.arbytra.models and its prefixed ID to agents.defaults.models in your config.
To list all Arbytra models:
Run a health check
Run a health check
OpenClaw includes a diagnostic command:This checks daemon connectivity, provider configuration, and model availability. Run
openclaw doctor --fix to auto-resolve common problems.Control routing
Configure routing in the Arbytra dashboard. See routing options for details.Uninstall
Remove thearbytra provider block from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and delete any arbytra/ entries from agents.defaults.models.
Remove ARBYTRA_API_KEY from your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc).