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What is OpenClaw

OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted personal AI assistant and gateway that connects chat channels such as WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Telegram, iMessage, and WebChat to AI agents. It can send supported model requests through Capriole AI by configuring custom OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible model providers.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Installation

Configuration

Configure the GPT provider:
Configure the Claude, Grok, GLM, and Kimi Chat Completions provider:
Configure the Anthropic provider:
Allow the configured Capriole AI models for the default agent:

Run OpenClaw

Start the gateway:
Open the TUI in another terminal:

Supported models

OpenClaw supports OpenAI latest, GPT 5.6 Thinking, GPT 5.6, GPT 5.5, GPT 5.4 mini, Fable 5, Opus 5, Grok 4.5, GLM 5.2, Kimi K3, Claude latest, Opus 4.8, Opus 4.7, Opus 4.6, and Sonnet 4.6 through Capriole AI. Fable 5 and Opus 5 can use either the Chat Completions-compatible provider or the Anthropic Messages provider.
  • openai-latest
  • openai/gpt-5.6-terra
  • openai/gpt-5.6-luna
  • openai/gpt-5.5
  • openai/gpt-5.4-mini
  • anthropic/claude-fable-5
  • anthropic/claude-opus-5
  • xai/grok-4.5
  • zai/glm-5.2
  • moonshot/kimi-k3
  • claude-latest
  • claude-fable-5
  • claude-opus-5
  • claude-opus-4-8
  • claude-opus-4-7
  • claude-opus-4-6
  • claude-sonnet-4-6

Troubleshooting

Why do GPT requests fail?

Confirm that models.providers.capriole-ai-openai.api is set to "openai-responses" and baseUrl is https://api.caprioletech.com/v1.

Why do Grok, GLM, or Kimi requests fail?

Confirm that models.providers.capriole-ai-compatible.api is set to "openai-completions" and baseUrl is https://api.caprioletech.com/v1.

Why do Anthropic requests fail?

Confirm that models.providers.capriole-ai-anthropic.api is set to "anthropic-messages" and the Anthropic baseUrl is https://api.caprioletech.com without /v1.

Why does authentication fail?

Export CUSTOM_API_KEY in the terminal that starts openclaw gateway and in the terminal that starts openclaw tui.

Why does OpenClaw report that a model is not allowed or unavailable?

Run openclaw models list, then confirm the selected model and any agents.defaults.models allowlist include the Capriole AI model reference, such as capriole-ai-openai/openai-latest, capriole-ai-compatible/xai/grok-4.5, capriole-ai-compatible/moonshot/kimi-k3, or capriole-ai-anthropic/claude-latest. If a Capriole AI model appears as missing, update the model entry with the full object shown above. Current OpenClaw releases need more than id and name for custom provider models.

Why doesn’t the gateway start?

Run openclaw status, openclaw gateway status, openclaw logs --follow, and openclaw doctor. Fix schema, gateway.mode, or service issues before retrying.

Why does port 18789 fail?

Choose another local port and use the same port for the gateway and client setup. For service-mode installs, run openclaw doctor --fix or openclaw gateway install --force after changing the port.

Notes

  • OpenClaw custom providers require the provider API mode to match the Capriole AI endpoint family.
  • OpenClaw 2026.4.21 completes local exec tool workflows with Grok 4.5, GLM 5.2, and Kimi K3 through openai-completions.
  • Capriole AI handles the model request. OpenClaw can still shape final assistant behavior through its gateway, channels, and agent settings.
  • Official references: OpenClaw install, OpenClaw custom providers, OpenClaw model providers, and OpenClaw troubleshooting.