Anthropic

Anthropic builds the Claude model family. OpenClaw supports two auth routes:

• API key — direct Anthropic API access with usage-based billing (anthropic/* models)
• Claude CLI — reuse an existing Claude CLI login on the same host

Warning

Anthropic staff told us OpenClaw-style Claude CLI usage is allowed again, so OpenClaw treats Claude CLI reuse and claude -p usage as sanctioned unless Anthropic publishes a new policy.

For long-lived gateway hosts, Anthropic API keys are still the clearest and most predictable production path.

Anthropic’s current public docs:

• Claude Code CLI reference
• Claude Agent SDK overview
• Using Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan
• Using Claude Code with your Team or Enterprise plan

Getting started

API keyClaude CLI

Best for: standard API access and usage-based billing.

1. Get your API key

   Create an API key in the Anthropic Console.

2. Run onboarding

   openclaw onboard
   # choose: Anthropic API key

   Or pass the key directly:

   openclaw onboard --anthropic-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"

3. Verify the model is available

   openclaw models list --provider anthropic

Config example

{
  env: { ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: "example-anthropic-key-not-real" },
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" } } },
}

Best for: reusing an existing Claude CLI login without a separate API key.

1. Ensure Claude CLI is installed and logged in

   Verify with:

   claude --version

2. Run onboarding

   openclaw onboard
   # choose: Claude CLI

   OpenClaw detects and reuses the existing Claude CLI credentials.

3. Verify the model is available

   openclaw models list --provider anthropic

Note

Setup and runtime details for the Claude CLI backend are in CLI Backends.

Config example

Prefer the canonical Anthropic model ref plus a CLI runtime override:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-7" },
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-7": {
          agentRuntime: { id: "claude-cli" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Legacy claude-cli/claude-opus-4-7 model refs still work for compatibility, but new config should keep provider/model selection as anthropic/* and put the execution backend in provider/model runtime policy.

Tip

If you want the clearest billing path, use an Anthropic API key instead. OpenClaw also supports subscription-style options from OpenAI Codex, Qwen Cloud, MiniMax, and Z.AI / GLM.

Thinking defaults (Claude 4.6)

Claude 4.6 models default to adaptive thinking in OpenClaw when no explicit thinking level is set.

Override per-message with /think:<level> or in model params:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
          params: { thinking: "adaptive" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Note

Related Anthropic docs:

• Adaptive thinking
• Extended thinking

Prompt caching

OpenClaw supports Anthropic’s prompt caching feature for API-key auth.

Value	Cache duration	Description
"short" (default)	5 minutes	Applied automatically for API-key auth
"long"	1 hour	Extended cache
"none"	No caching	Disable prompt caching

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
          params: { cacheRetention: "long" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Per-agent cache overrides

Use model-level params as your baseline, then override specific agents via agents.list[].params:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" },
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
          params: { cacheRetention: "long" },
        },
      },
    },
    list: [
      { id: "research", default: true },
      { id: "alerts", params: { cacheRetention: "none" } },
    ],
  },
}

Config merge order:

1. agents.defaults.models["provider/model"].params
2. agents.list[].params (matching id, overrides by key)

This lets one agent keep a long-lived cache while another agent on the same model disables caching for bursty/low-reuse traffic.

Bedrock Claude notes

• Anthropic Claude models on Bedrock (amazon-bedrock/*anthropic.claude*) accept cacheRetention pass-through when configured.
• Non-Anthropic Bedrock models are forced to cacheRetention: "none" at runtime.
• API-key smart defaults also seed cacheRetention: "short" for Claude-on-Bedrock refs when no explicit value is set.

Advanced configuration

Fast mode

OpenClaw’s shared /fast toggle supports direct Anthropic traffic (API-key and OAuth to api.anthropic.com).

Command	Maps to
/fast on	service_tier: "auto"
/fast off	service_tier: "standard_only"

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6": {
          params: { fastMode: true },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Note

• Only injected for direct api.anthropic.com requests. Proxy routes leave service_tier untouched.
• Explicit serviceTier or service_tier params override /fast when both are set.
• On accounts without Priority Tier capacity, service_tier: "auto" may resolve to standard.

Media understanding (image and PDF)

The bundled Anthropic plugin registers image and PDF understanding. OpenClaw auto-resolves media capabilities from the configured Anthropic auth — no additional config is needed.

Property	Value
Default model	claude-opus-4-7
Supported input	Images, PDF documents

When an image or PDF is attached to a conversation, OpenClaw automatically routes it through the Anthropic media understanding provider.

1M context window

Anthropic’s 1M context window is available on GA-capable Claude 4.x models such as Opus 4.6, Opus 4.7, and Sonnet 4.6. OpenClaw sizes those models at 1M automatically:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {},
      },
    },
  },
}

Older configs can keep params.context1m: true, but OpenClaw no longer sends the retired context-1m-2025-08-07 beta header. Older anthropicBeta config entries with that value are ignored during request header resolution and unsupported older Claude models stay on their normal context window.

params.context1m: true also applies to the Claude CLI backend (claude-cli/*) for eligible GA-capable Opus and Sonnet models, preserving the runtime context window for those CLI sessions to match the direct-API behavior.

Warning

Requires long-context access on your Anthropic credential. OAuth/subscription token auth keeps its required Anthropic beta headers, but OpenClaw strips the retired 1M beta header if it remains in older config.

Claude Opus 4.7 1M context

anthropic/claude-opus-4-7 and its claude-cli variant have a 1M context window by default — no params.context1m: true needed.

Troubleshooting

401 errors / token suddenly invalid

Anthropic token auth expires and can be revoked. For new setups, use an Anthropic API key instead.

No API key found for provider "anthropic"

Anthropic auth is per agent — new agents do not inherit the main agent’s keys. Re-run onboarding for that agent (or configure an API key on the gateway host), then verify with openclaw models status.

No credentials found for profile "anthropic:default"

Run openclaw models status to see which auth profile is active. Re-run onboarding, or configure an API key for that profile path.

No available auth profile (all in cooldown)

Check openclaw models status --json for auth.unusableProfiles. Anthropic rate-limit cooldowns can be model-scoped, so a sibling Anthropic model may still be usable. Add another Anthropic profile or wait for cooldown.

Note

More help: Troubleshooting and FAQ.

Related

Model selection

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

CLI backends

Claude CLI backend setup and runtime details.

Prompt caching

How prompt caching works across providers.

OAuth and auth

Auth details and credential reuse rules.