Anthropic (Claude)

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

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:

Getting started

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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your API key">
    Create an API key in the [Anthropic Console](https://console.anthropic.com/).
  </Step>
  <Step title="Run onboarding">
    ```bash
    openclaw onboard
    # choose: Anthropic API key
    ```

    Or pass the key directly:

    ```bash
    openclaw onboard --anthropic-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Verify the model is available">
    ```bash
    openclaw models list --provider anthropic
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Config example

```json5
{
  env: { ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: "sk-ant-..." },
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" } } },
}
```

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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Ensure Claude CLI is installed and logged in">
    Verify with:

    ```bash
    claude --version
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Run onboarding">
    ```bash
    openclaw onboard
    # choose: Claude CLI
    ```

    OpenClaw detects and reuses the existing Claude CLI credentials.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Verify the model is available">
    ```bash
    openclaw models list --provider anthropic
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
Setup and runtime details for the Claude CLI backend are in [CLI Backends](/gateway/cli-backends).
</Note>

<Tip>
If you want the clearest billing path, use an Anthropic API key instead. OpenClaw also supports subscription-style options from [OpenAI Codex](/providers/openai), [Qwen Cloud](/providers/qwen), [MiniMax](/providers/minimax), and [Z.AI / GLM](/providers/glm).
</Tip>

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" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Related Anthropic docs: - [Adaptive thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/adaptive-thinking) - [Extended thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/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" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

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

```json5
{
  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.

- 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

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"` |

```json5
{
  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`.
</Note>

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-4-6`    |
| 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.

Anthropic's 1M context window is beta-gated. Enable it per model:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
          params: { context1m: true },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

OpenClaw maps this to `anthropic-beta: context-1m-2025-08-07` on requests.

<Warning>
Requires long-context access on your Anthropic credential. Legacy token auth (`sk-ant-oat-*`) is rejected for 1M context requests — OpenClaw logs a warning and falls back to the standard context window.
</Warning>

Troubleshooting

Anthropic token auth can expire or be revoked. For new setups, migrate to an Anthropic API key. Auth is **per agent**. New agents don't 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`. Run `openclaw models status` to see which auth profile is active. Re-run onboarding, or configure an API key for that profile path. 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. More help: [Troubleshooting](/help/troubleshooting) and [FAQ](/help/faq). Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior. Claude CLI backend setup and runtime details. How prompt caching works across providers. Auth details and credential reuse rules.

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