Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: OpenClaw Model Switch

Switch the default AI model for OpenClaw (e.g., Kimi K2.6 to K2.7). Use when the user wants to change the active LLM model, upgrade to a newer model version, switch between reasoning and non-reasoning models, or modify the openclaw.json model configuration. Triggers on phrases like "switch model", "change model", "upgrade to k2.7", "use k2.7", "模型切换", "切换模型".

UncategorizedID: daymade/claude-code-skills/openclaw-model-switch

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daymade/claude-code-skills
daymadeLicense: MIT
1,259208

Install this agent skill to your local

pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/daymade/claude-code-skills/tree/HEAD/openclaw-model-switch

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openclaw-model-switch/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
openclaw-model-switch
Description
>-

OpenClaw Model Switch

Switch or repair an OpenClaw instance's model configuration by safely editing openclaw.json.

Diagnose before you edit. Model failures on OpenClaw are usually NOT the model id — they are key routing (env hijack), provider-plugin restrictions, or endpoint/model mismatch. Changing the model id without checking these first is how a 5-minute fix becomes a 2-hour debugging session. The full trap catalog with discovery commands lives in references/troubleshooting-model-config.md — read it the moment anything errors.

Step 1 — Find the real config file(s)

Do NOT assume a hardcoded path. Candidate locations (check all, edit all that exist):

  1. ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json — the gateway's live config on most installs
  2. ~/.kimi/kimi-claw/openclaw.json — Kimi Claw mirror, kept in sync on some installs
  3. ~/.kimi_openclaw/openclaw.json — legacy desktop path

Confirm which one the gateway actually reads: openclaw gateway status prints Config (service): <path>. If several exist, treat them as mirrors: edit all of them identically, otherwise the next sync overwrites your fix.

Step 2 — Probe the endpoint + model BEFORE touching config

Never trust a relay's model listing (GET /v1/models on new-api style relays is frequently incomplete — a model can be absent from the list yet serve fine). The only authority is a real completion probe from the host that will run the bot:

curl -sS -o /tmp/probe.json -w "HTTP %{http_code}\n" \
  -X POST "<baseUrl>/v1/messages" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <apiKey>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -d '{"model":"<model-id>","max_tokens":16,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]}'

Expected: HTTP 200 and a content array in the body. 401 Invalid token with a token you just verified works elsewhere → the wire key is being hijacked (see trap #1 in the troubleshooting reference). 503 No available channel → the model is not served for this token/group from this network (trap #3) — pick a served model or fix the relay, don't blind-switch.

Step 3 — Switch the model

python3 scripts/switch-model.py <model-id> --restart
# target a specific provider instead of the guessed one:
python3 scripts/switch-model.py k3 --provider kimi-relay --restart
# explicit config path (skips discovery):
python3 scripts/switch-model.py k3 --config ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json --restart

The script: discovers and backs up every candidate config to <config-dir>/config-backups/, adds the model definition if known, sets agents.defaults.model.primary, syncs mirror files, and restarts the gateway with --restart.

Step 4 — Verify end-to-end (mandatory)

A restarted gateway proves nothing. Run one real agent turn and read the result metadata:

openclaw agent --local --json --agent main --session-id verify-$(date +%s) -m "ping"

Success looks like: "result": "success", "fallbackUsed": false, and the gateway log shows agent model: <provider>/<model> (thinking=...). "result": "success" with fallbackUsed: true means your target failed and a fallback saved the turn — the config is still wrong.

Common failures → read the troubleshooting reference

| Symptom | Most likely trap | |---|---| | LLM error new_api_error: Invalid token, but the token works in curl | Trap #1 — env KIMI_API_KEY hijacks the provider's wire key | | Thinking level "max" is not supported ... Use one of: off, on | Trap #2 — kimi-provider plugin hardcodes binary thinking; bypass with a custom provider | | Thinking level ... Use one of: off, minimal, low, medium, high | Trap #2 variant — anthropic-messages base profile; unlock via params.canonicalModelId | | 503 No available channel for model X under group default | Trap #3 — model not served for this group/network; listing ≠ availability | | Edit saved + gateway restarted, nothing changed | Trap #5 — edited the wrong file / mirror not synced |

Safety rules

  • Always backup before editing (the script does this; manual edits: copy to config-backups/ first)
  • Preserve existing apiKey, headers, plugin configs, and env blocks — retype only the fields you mean to change
  • Validate JSON after manual edits: python3 -m json.tool openclaw.json > /dev/null
  • Do not commit config files containing API keys to version control
  • After changing anything, redo the Step-4 verification — and if it fails, restore the newest backup before trying something else

Resources

  • scripts/switch-model.py — model switcher with config discovery, backup, mirror sync, and restart
  • references/kimi-models.md — known model specs (k3, k2p6, kimi-k2.7-code) and config snippets
  • references/troubleshooting-model-config.md — the trap catalog: env key hijack, plugin binary thinking, canonicalModelId, relay availability, config discovery. Read on any error.