Model providers

Using Kilocode with OpenClaw

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This guide shows you how to wire Kilocode’s Kilo Gateway into OpenClaw so your agents can call many upstream models through a single provider. You’ll configure the `kilocode` provider, set the API key, and point your default agent model at Kilo’s smart-routing endpoint.

By the end, OpenClaw will talk to Kilo Gateway using `kilocode/kilo/auto` or any other Kilo-backed model ref.

Setup flow

Prerequisites

  • ✓An active Kilo Gateway account at https://app.kilo.ai with access to API Keys.
  • ✓A generated Kilo Gateway API key from the API Keys section in the Kilo dashboard.
  • ✓An existing OpenClaw setup where you can run the `openclaw` CLI and edit its config (for example, `~/.openclaw` or your app’s config file).

Steps

  1. 1

    Create a Kilo Gateway account and API key

    Start by getting a Kilo Gateway API key, since every OpenClaw call to the `kilocode` provider authenticates with it. You do this once per Kilo account, and you’ll reuse the same key across your OpenClaw environments.

    text
    Go to https://app.kilo.ai/, sign in or create an account, then navigate to API Keys and generate a new key.
  2. 2

    Run OpenClaw onboarding for the Kilocode API key

    Use the OpenClaw onboarding command to register your Kilo API key with the `kilocode` provider. This is the most straightforward way to get the key into OpenClaw’s environment without hand-editing config.

    bash
    openclaw onboard --auth-choice kilocode-api-key
  3. 3

    Export KILOCODE_API_KEY manually (alternative to onboarding)

    If you prefer to manage secrets yourself or you run OpenClaw in a non-interactive environment, set `KILOCODE_API_KEY` directly. Make sure you export it in whatever shell or process manager actually runs OpenClaw so the provider can authenticate.

    bash
    export KILOCODE_API_KEY="<your-kilocode-api-key>" # pragma: allowlist secret
  4. 4

    Verify Kilocode models are visible to OpenClaw

    Once the API key is in place, confirm that OpenClaw can talk to Kilo Gateway and discover models. This step catches auth or networking issues before you wire models into agents.

    bash
    openclaw models list --provider kilocode
  5. 5

    Set kilocode/kilo/auto as your default agent model

    Point your default agent at Kilo’s smart-routing model so new agents automatically use Kilo Gateway. You can still override the model per agent, but this keeps your global default on `kilocode/kilo/auto`.

    json
    {
  env: { KILOCODE_API_KEY: "<your-kilocode-api-key>" }, // pragma: allowlist secret
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "kilocode/kilo/auto" },
    },
  },
}
  6. 6

    Choose specific Kilocode-backed models when you need control

    When you want explicit control over the upstream model or reasoning behavior, use a concrete Kilo model ref instead of `kilocode/kilo/auto`. OpenClaw discovers these from Kilo Gateway and you can reference them directly in your agent configs.

    text
    kilocode/kilo/auto
kilocode/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
kilocode/openai/gpt-5.4
kilocode/google/gemini-3-pro-preview

Configuration

OptionDescriptionExample
KILOCODE_API_KEYAPI key used by OpenClaw to authenticate requests to Kilo Gateway for the `kilocode` provider.sk-kilo-1234567890abcdef
env.KILOCODE_API_KEYConfig key in your OpenClaw config that passes the Kilo Gateway API key into the runtime environment.sk-kilo-1234567890abcdef
agents.defaults.model.primarySets the default primary model for all agents, which you can point at a Kilo Gateway model ref like `kilocode/kilo/auto`.kilocode/kilo/auto

Troubleshooting

Kilocode models do not appear when you run `openclaw models list --provider kilocode`.

Model discovery can fail if OpenClaw cannot reach Kilo Gateway or your API key is missing or invalid. OpenClaw then falls back to the bundled static catalog that only includes `kilocode/kilo/auto`, so double-check `KILOCODE_API_KEY` and that your Kilo account has the desired models enabled.

bash
openclaw models list --provider kilocode

Your OpenClaw daemon cannot call Kilo Gateway even though `KILOCODE_API_KEY` works in your shell.

When OpenClaw runs as a daemon, it may not inherit your interactive shell environment. shellEnv` in the process manager configuration.

bash
export KILOCODE_API_KEY="<your-kilocode-api-key>" # pragma: allowlist secret

Frequently asked questions

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