OpenClaw Custom API Setup: Run GLM, Kimi, and DeepSeek Without the Frontier Price Tag

OpenClaw supports custom OpenAI-compatible API providers, enabling users to retain its agent workflow while routing requests to lower-cost open-weight models and potentially reducing token expenses substantially. Configuration requires both a provider definition, including its base URL, API key, protocol, and available models, and a separate exact-model allowlist in `agents.defaults.models`; omitting or mismatching this allowlist commonly causes a “model not allowed” error. Users can complete setup through the `openclaw onboard` wizard, which handles both configuration layers automatically, or manually edit the configuration while using merge mode to preserve existing providers. The guidance recommends selecting capable open models such as GLM-5.1 or Kimi K2.6 for interactive coding, cheaper options such as DeepSeek V4 Flash for high-volume tasks, and frontier models only for unusually difficult work. A shared compatible endpoint can also centralize access, billing, and model switching across tools including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and similar clients, although endpoint path requirements may vary by application.

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