Using Qwen with OpenClaw

Prerequisites

• ✓An active Qwen Cloud account with access to either the Coding Plan (subscription) or Standard (pay-as-you-go) endpoints.
• ✓At least one Qwen API key created at https://home.qwencloud.com/api-keys.
• ✓OpenClaw installed with access to the `openclaw` CLI so you can run `openclaw onboard` and `openclaw models list`.
• ✓Network access from your OpenClaw environment to the DashScope or Coding endpoints such as `dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1` or `coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1`.

Steps

1. 1

   Decide between Coding Plan and Standard endpoints

   Pick whether you want the Coding Plan (subscription) or Standard (pay-as-you-go) Qwen endpoints before you touch config. 6-plus` or multimodal/video features, while Coding Plan is focused on subscription-based coding and text access.

   textCopy

   | Plan | Region | Auth choice | Endpoint |
   | --- | --- | --- | --- |
   | Standard (pay-as-you-go) | China | `qwen-standard-api-key-cn` | `dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1` |
   | Standard (pay-as-you-go) | Global | `qwen-standard-api-key` | `dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1` |
   | Coding Plan (subscription) | China | `qwen-api-key-cn` | `coding.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1` |
   | Coding Plan (subscription) | Global | `qwen-api-key` | `coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1` |

2. 2

   Create or copy your Qwen API key

   You need a Qwen API key before running any OpenClaw onboarding flow. Generate or copy it from the Qwen Cloud console, and keep track of which plan and region it belongs to so you can match it with the right `auth-choice` later.

   textCopy

   Create or copy an API key from https://home.qwencloud.com/api-keys.

3. 3

   Run onboarding for the Coding Plan endpoint

   If you use the Coding Plan subscription, run the Qwen onboarding flow with the Coding Plan auth choices. Pick the Global or China variant to match where your key was issued so OpenClaw targets the correct Coding endpoint.

   bashCopy

   openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-api-key
   
   openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-api-key-cn

4. 4

   Run onboarding for the Standard (pay-as-you-go) endpoint

   If you use the Standard Model Studio endpoint, run onboarding with the Standard auth choices instead. 6-plus` or multimodal/video features that are only available on the Standard DashScope-compatible hosts.

   bashCopy

   openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key
   
   openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key-cn

5. 5

   Set Qwen as the default text model for your agents

   After onboarding, configure your agent defaults so OpenClaw routes text and chat calls to Qwen. ` model ref.

   jsonCopy

   {
     agents: {
       defaults: {
         model: { primary: "qwen/qwen3.5-plus" },
       },
     },
   }

6. 6

   Verify Qwen models are available in OpenClaw

   Before wiring Qwen into production agents, list the models OpenClaw sees for the `qwen` provider. This confirms your auth choice, endpoint, and API key are all wired correctly and that the bundled catalog is visible.

   bashCopy

   openclaw models list --provider qwen

7. 7

   Configure Qwen as the default video generation provider (optional)

   If you use Qwen’s Wan video generation on the Standard endpoints, set it as the default video provider in your agent defaults. 6-t2v` while keeping region mapping aligned with your Qwen auth.

   jsonCopy

   {
     agents: {
       defaults: {
         videoGenerationModel: { primary: "qwen/wan2.6-t2v" },
       },
     },
   }

Configuration

Troubleshooting

openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key
# or
openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key-cn

openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key
# or
openclaw onboard --auth-choice qwen-standard-api-key-cn

Environment and daemon setup

If the Gateway runs as a daemon (launchd/systemd), make sure `QWEN_API_KEY` is available to that process (for example, in `~/.openclaw/.env` or via `env.shellEnv`).

Frequently asked questions