Private AI Inference with Venice and OpenClaw
I often worry about where my prompts go when I use standard AI providers. Many platforms log every interaction for training, which makes me hesitate when working on sensitive code or private projects. I want to use high-quality models without feeling like my data is being harvested.
Venice solves this by offering two distinct layers of protection. You get “Private” mode for open-source models where nothing is stored, and “Anonymized” mode for proprietary models like Claude or GPT. This means you can use the best models on the market while Venice strips your metadata and proxies the request so the original provider never knows who you are.
What You’ll Need
Section titled “What You’ll Need”- A Venice AI account.
- A Venice API key (it starts with
vapi_). - OpenClaw installed on your machine.
Quick Start
Section titled “Quick Start”You can get Venice running in OpenClaw in about five minutes.
1. Get your API key
Section titled “1. Get your API key”Log in to your account at venice.ai. Go to Settings → API Keys → Create new key and copy the string.
2. Run the interactive setup
Section titled “2. Run the interactive setup”I recommend using the interactive onboard command because it handles the configuration for you. Run this in your terminal:
openclaw onboard --auth-choice venice-api-keyThe tool will ask for your API key, show you the available models, and let you pick a default.
3. Start a chat
Section titled “3. Start a chat”Verify that everything is connected by sending a quick test message:
openclaw chat --model venice/llama-3.3-70b "Hello, are you working?"Choosing Your Privacy Level
Section titled “Choosing Your Privacy Level”Venice handles models differently based on their origin. It is helpful to know which mode you are using:
| Mode | Description | Models |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Fully private. Prompts and responses are never stored or logged. | Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, Venice Uncensored |
| Anonymized | Proxied through Venice with metadata stripped. The provider sees anonymized requests. | Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MiniMax |
Recommended Models
Section titled “Recommended Models”OpenClaw discovers models dynamically from the Venice API. Here are a few I suggest for specific tasks:
- For coding: Use
venice/qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct. It has a 262k context window and is optimized for code. - For complex reasoning: Use
venice/claude-opus-45via the anonymized proxy orvenice/deepseek-v3.2for a private option. - For vision: Use
venice/qwen3-vl-235b-a22bif you need to process images privately. - For uncensored tasks: Use
venice/venice-uncensoredwhen you need to bypass content restrictions.
You can switch your default model at any time with this command:
openclaw models set venice/llama-3.3-70bTroubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”API key not recognized
Section titled “API key not recognized”If OpenClaw cannot find your key, check if your environment variable is set correctly. Run:
echo $VENICE_API_KEYMake sure the key starts with the vapi_ prefix.
Model not available
Section titled “Model not available”The Venice model catalog updates dynamically. If a model is missing, run this to see the current list:
openclaw models list | grep veniceSome models might be temporarily offline or undergoing maintenance.
Connection issues
Section titled “Connection issues”Venice uses https://api.venice.ai/api/v1. If you have trouble connecting, check your network settings to ensure HTTPS connections to this endpoint are allowed.
If you hit a wall during setup, you can get help from the AI Setup Assistant.
What’s Next
Section titled “What’s Next”
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