openclaw/docs/tools/code-execution.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
code_execution -- run sandboxed remote Python analysis with xAI	You want to enable or configure code_execution You want remote analysis without local shell access You want to combine x_search or web_search with remote Python analysis	Code Execution

Code Execution

code_execution runs sandboxed remote Python analysis on xAI's Responses API. This is different from local exec:

• exec runs shell commands on your machine or node
• code_execution runs Python in xAI's remote sandbox

Use code_execution for:

• calculations
• tabulation
• quick statistics
• chart-style analysis
• analyzing data returned by x_search or web_search

Do not use it when you need local files, your shell, your repo, or paired devices. Use exec for that.

Setup

You need an xAI API key. Any of these work:

• XAI_API_KEY
• plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey

Example:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      xai: {
        config: {
          webSearch: {
            apiKey: "xai-...",
          },
          codeExecution: {
            enabled: true,
            model: "grok-4-1-fast",
            maxTurns: 2,
            timeoutSeconds: 30,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

How To Use It

Ask naturally and make the analysis intent explicit:

Use code_execution to calculate the 7-day moving average for these numbers: ...

Use x_search to find posts mentioning OpenClaw this week, then use code_execution to count them by day.

Use web_search to gather the latest AI benchmark numbers, then use code_execution to compare percent changes.

The tool takes a single task parameter internally, so the agent should send the full analysis request and any inline data in one prompt.

Limits

• This is remote xAI execution, not local process execution.
• It should be treated as ephemeral analysis, not a persistent notebook.
• Do not assume access to local files or your workspace.
• For fresh X data, use x_search first.

See Also

• Web tools
• Exec
• xAI