openclaw/docs/gateway/openai-http-api.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Expose an OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions HTTP endpoint from the Gateway	Integrating tools that expect OpenAI Chat Completions	OpenAI Chat Completions

OpenAI Chat Completions (HTTP)

OpenClaw’s Gateway can serve a small OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions endpoint.

This endpoint is disabled by default. Enable it in config first.

• POST /v1/chat/completions
• Same port as the Gateway (WS + HTTP multiplex): http://<gateway-host>:<port>/v1/chat/completions

When the Gateway’s OpenAI-compatible HTTP surface is enabled, it also serves:

• GET /v1/models
• GET /v1/models/{id}
• POST /v1/embeddings
• POST /v1/responses

Under the hood, requests are executed as a normal Gateway agent run (same codepath as openclaw agent), so routing/permissions/config match your Gateway.

Authentication

Uses the Gateway auth configuration. Send a bearer token:

• Authorization: Bearer <token>

Notes:

• When gateway.auth.mode="token", use gateway.auth.token (or OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN).
• When gateway.auth.mode="password", use gateway.auth.password (or OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD).
• If gateway.auth.rateLimit is configured and too many auth failures occur, the endpoint returns 429 with Retry-After.

Security boundary (important)

Treat this endpoint as a full operator-access surface for the gateway instance.

• HTTP bearer auth here is not a narrow per-user scope model.
• A valid Gateway token/password for this endpoint should be treated like an owner/operator credential.
• Requests run through the same control-plane agent path as trusted operator actions.
• There is no separate non-owner/per-user tool boundary on this endpoint; once a caller passes Gateway auth here, OpenClaw treats that caller as a trusted operator for this gateway.
• If the target agent policy allows sensitive tools, this endpoint can use them.
• Keep this endpoint on loopback/tailnet/private ingress only; do not expose it directly to the public internet.

See Security and Remote access.

Agent-first model contract

OpenClaw treats the OpenAI model field as an agent target, not a raw provider model id.

• model: "openclaw" routes to the configured default agent.
• model: "openclaw/default" also routes to the configured default agent.
• model: "openclaw/<agentId>" routes to a specific agent.

Optional request headers:

• x-openclaw-model: <provider/model-or-bare-id> overrides the backend model for the selected agent.
• x-openclaw-agent-id: <agentId> remains supported as a compatibility override.
• x-openclaw-session-key: <sessionKey> fully controls session routing.
• x-openclaw-message-channel: <channel> sets the synthetic ingress channel context for channel-aware prompts and policies.

Compatibility aliases still accepted:

• model: "openclaw:<agentId>"
• model: "agent:<agentId>"

Enabling the endpoint

Set gateway.http.endpoints.chatCompletions.enabled to true:

{
  gateway: {
    http: {
      endpoints: {
        chatCompletions: { enabled: true },
      },
    },
  },
}

Disabling the endpoint

Set gateway.http.endpoints.chatCompletions.enabled to false:

{
  gateway: {
    http: {
      endpoints: {
        chatCompletions: { enabled: false },
      },
    },
  },
}

Session behavior

By default the endpoint is stateless per request (a new session key is generated each call).

If the request includes an OpenAI user string, the Gateway derives a stable session key from it, so repeated calls can share an agent session.

Why this surface matters

This is the highest-leverage compatibility set for self-hosted frontends and tooling:

• Most Open WebUI, LobeChat, and LibreChat setups expect /v1/models.
• Many RAG systems expect /v1/embeddings.
• Existing OpenAI chat clients can usually start with /v1/chat/completions.
• More agent-native clients increasingly prefer /v1/responses.

Model list and agent routing

An OpenClaw agent-target list.

The returned ids are `openclaw`, `openclaw/default`, and `openclaw/<agentId>` entries.
Use them directly as OpenAI `model` values.

It lists top-level agent targets, not backend provider models and not sub-agents.

Sub-agents remain internal execution topology. They do not appear as pseudo-models.

`openclaw/default` is the stable alias for the configured default agent.

That means clients can keep using one predictable id even if the real default agent id changes between environments.

Use `x-openclaw-model`.

Examples:
`x-openclaw-model: openai/gpt-5.4`
`x-openclaw-model: gpt-5.4`

If you omit it, the selected agent runs with its normal configured model choice.

`/v1/embeddings` uses the same agent-target `model` ids.

Use `model: "openclaw/default"` or `model: "openclaw/<agentId>"`.
When you need a specific embedding model, send it in `x-openclaw-model`.
Without that header, the request passes through to the selected agent's normal embedding setup.

Streaming (SSE)

Set stream: true to receive Server-Sent Events (SSE):

• Content-Type: text/event-stream
• Each event line is data: <json>
• Stream ends with data: [DONE]

Open WebUI quick setup

For a basic Open WebUI connection:

• Base URL: http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1
• Docker on macOS base URL: http://host.docker.internal:18789/v1
• API key: your Gateway bearer token
• Model: openclaw/default

Expected behavior:

• GET /v1/models should list openclaw/default
• Open WebUI should use openclaw/default as the chat model id
• If you want a specific backend provider/model for that agent, set the agent's normal default model or send x-openclaw-model

Quick smoke:

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/models \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'

If that returns openclaw/default, most Open WebUI setups can connect with the same base URL and token.

Examples

Non-streaming:

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/chat/completions \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "model": "openclaw/default",
    "messages": [{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]
  }'

Streaming:

curl -N http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/chat/completions \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'x-openclaw-model: openai/gpt-5.4' \
  -d '{
    "model": "openclaw/research",
    "stream": true,
    "messages": [{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]
  }'

List models:

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/models \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'

Fetch one model:

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/models/openclaw%2Fdefault \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'

Create embeddings:

curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/v1/embeddings \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'x-openclaw-model: openai/text-embedding-3-small' \
  -d '{
    "model": "openclaw/default",
    "input": ["alpha", "beta"]
  }'

Notes:

• /v1/models returns OpenClaw agent targets, not raw provider catalogs.
• openclaw/default is always present so one stable id works across environments.
• Backend provider/model overrides belong in x-openclaw-model, not the OpenAI model field.
• /v1/embeddings supports input as a string or array of strings.