Connect OpenAI to OpenClaw: API Key or Codex Setup

Setting up AI models often feels like you’re stuck in a loop of copying keys and hoping the connection doesn’t drop. You want to get straight to building, but the configuration details for different API paths can get messy fast.

OpenAI

OpenAI provides developer APIs for GPT models. Codex supports ChatGPT sign-in for subscription access or API key sign-in for usage-based access. Codex cloud requires ChatGPT sign-in. OpenAI explicitly supports subscription OAuth usage in external tools/workflows like OpenClaw.

Option A: OpenAI API key (OpenAI Platform)

This is your best bet if you want direct API access and usage-based billing. You can get your API key from the OpenAI dashboard.

CLI setup

openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-api-key
# or non-interactive
openclaw onboard --openai-api-key "$OPENAI_API_KEY"

Config snippet

{
  env: { OPENAI_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "openai/gpt-5.4" } } },
}

OpenAI’s current API model docs list gpt-5.4 and gpt-5.4-pro for direct OpenAI API usage. OpenClaw forwards both through the openai/* Responses path. OpenClaw intentionally suppresses the stale openai/gpt-5.3-codex-spark row, because direct OpenAI API calls reject it in live traffic.

OpenClaw does not expose openai/gpt-5.3-codex-spark on the direct OpenAI API path. pi-ai still ships a built-in row for that model, but live OpenAI API requests currently reject it. Spark is treated as Codex-only in OpenClaw.

Option B: OpenAI Code (Codex) subscription

Choose this if you prefer using ChatGPT/Codex subscription access instead of an API key. Codex cloud requires ChatGPT sign-in, while the Codex CLI supports ChatGPT or API key sign-in.

CLI setup (Codex OAuth)

# Run Codex OAuth in the wizard
openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-codex

# Or run OAuth directly
openclaw models auth login --provider openai-codex

Config snippet (Codex subscription)

{
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "openai-codex/gpt-5.4" } } },
}

OpenAI’s current Codex docs list gpt-5.4 as the current Codex model. OpenClaw maps that to openai-codex/gpt-5.4 for ChatGPT/Codex OAuth usage.

If your Codex account is entitled to Codex Spark, OpenClaw also supports:

• openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex-spark

OpenClaw treats Codex Spark as Codex-only. It does not expose a direct openai/gpt-5.3-codex-spark API-key path.

OpenClaw also preserves openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex-spark when pi-ai discovers it. Treat it as entitlement-dependent and experimental: Codex Spark is separate from GPT-5.4 /fast, and availability depends on the signed-in Codex / ChatGPT account.

Transport default

OpenClaw uses pi-ai for model streaming. For both openai/* and openai-codex/*, default transport is "auto" (WebSocket-first, then SSE fallback).

You can set agents.defaults.models.<provider/model>.params.transport:

• "sse": force SSE
• "websocket": force WebSocket
• "auto": try WebSocket, then fall back to SSE

For openai/* (Responses API), OpenClaw also enables WebSocket warm-up by default (openaiWsWarmup: true) when WebSocket transport is used.

Related OpenAI docs:

• Realtime API with WebSocket
• Streaming API responses (SSE)

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "openai-codex/gpt-5.4" },
      models: {
        "openai-codex/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            transport: "auto",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

OpenAI WebSocket warm-up

OpenAI docs describe warm-up as optional. OpenClaw enables it by default for openai/* to reduce first-turn latency when using WebSocket transport.

Disable warm-up

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            openaiWsWarmup: false,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Enable warm-up explicitly

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            openaiWsWarmup: true,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

OpenAI and Codex priority processing

OpenAI’s API exposes priority processing via service_tier=priority. In OpenClaw, set agents.defaults.models["<provider>/<model>"].params.serviceTier to pass that field through on native OpenAI/Codex Responses endpoints.

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            serviceTier: "priority",
          },
        },
        "openai-codex/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            serviceTier: "priority",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Supported values are auto, default, flex, and priority.

OpenClaw forwards params.serviceTier to both direct openai/* Responses requests and openai-codex/* Codex Responses requests when those models point at the native OpenAI/Codex endpoints.

Important behavior:

• direct openai/* must target api.openai.com
• openai-codex/* must target chatgpt.com/backend-api
• if you route either provider through another base URL or proxy, OpenClaw leaves service_tier untouched

OpenAI fast mode

OpenClaw exposes a shared fast-mode toggle for both openai/* and openai-codex/* sessions:

• Chat/UI: /fast status|on|off
• Config: agents.defaults.models["<provider>/<model>"].params.fastMode

When fast mode is enabled, OpenClaw maps it to OpenAI priority processing:

• direct openai/* Responses calls to api.openai.com send service_tier = "priority"
• openai-codex/* Responses calls to chatgpt.com/backend-api also send service_tier = "priority"
• existing payload service_tier values are preserved
• fast mode does not rewrite reasoning or text.verbosity

Example:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            fastMode: true,
          },
        },
        "openai-codex/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            fastMode: true,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Session overrides win over config. Clearing the session override in the Sessions UI returns the session to the configured default.

OpenAI Responses server-side compaction

For direct OpenAI Responses models (openai/* using api: "openai-responses" with baseUrl on api.openai.com), OpenClaw now auto-enables OpenAI server-side compaction payload hints:

• Forces store: true (unless model compat sets supportsStore: false)
• Injects context_management: [{ type: "compaction", compact_threshold: ... }]

By default, compact_threshold is 70% of model contextWindow (or 80000 when unavailable).

Enable server-side compaction explicitly

Use this when you want to force context_management injection on compatible Responses models (for example Azure OpenAI Responses):

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "azure-openai-responses/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            responsesServerCompaction: true,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Enable with a custom threshold

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            responsesServerCompaction: true,
            responsesCompactThreshold: 120000,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Disable server-side compaction

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.4": {
          params: {
            responsesServerCompaction: false,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

responsesServerCompaction only controls context_management injection. Direct OpenAI Responses models still force store: true unless compat sets supportsStore: false.

Notes

• Model refs always use provider/model (see /concepts/models).
• Auth details + reuse rules are in /concepts/oauth.

Next steps

• Learn more about Model Concepts
• Explore OAuth and Auth details

Still have questions? Check out the AI Setup Assistant.