OpenClaw Model Switching

1. Course Content

This course systematically introduces OpenClaw's model selection mechanism and three model switching methods.

2. Temporarily Switch Session Model

2.1 Open TUI Session

• Enter in the terminal

openclaw tui

2.2 Use /model to Switch Session Model

• Enter /model in the chat box and press Enter. For example, here we select and switch to bailian/qwen3.5-plus. Use the up and down arrow keys to select a model, then press Enter.

3. Switch Default Model

3.1 Switch via CLI

The simplest way is to use a CLI command to directly set the default model:

• Here we use switching to the bailian/qwen3.6-plus model as an example

xxxxxxxxxx
openclaw models set bailian/qwen3.6-plus

3.2 Switch via Configuration File

• Edit the openclaw.json configuration file to modify the Agent's default model

  xxxxxxxxxx
  nano $HOME/.openclaw/openclaw.json
  # Or use your preferred editor, such as vim, code, etc.
  

In openclaw.json, use the agents.defaults.model.primary configuration item to specify the default primary model:

xxxxxxxxxx
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "bailian/qwen3.5-plus"
      }
    }
  }
}

• Verify that the configuration has taken effect:

xxxxxxxxxx
openclaw models status

4. Add Model Options List

• agents.defaults.models is the allowlist/catalog in OpenClaw that controls the range of available models. When this configuration item is set, users can only use models included in the list. This list simultaneously serves as the model range control basis for both the /model command and session overrides.

4.1 Add Models via Configuration File

Configure agents.defaults.models in openclaw.json and add the models you need to use to the allowlist:

xxxxxxxxxx
"agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "bailian/qwen3.5-plus"
      },
      "imageModel": {
        "primary": "bailian/qwen3.5-plus"
      },
      "models": {
        "openrouter/auto": {
          "alias": "OpenRouter"
        },
        "openrouter/openrouter/free": {},
        "codingplan/qwen3.5-plus": {},
        "codingplan/qwen3-max-2026-01-23": {},
        "codingplan/qwen3-coder-next": {},
        "codingplan/qwen3-coder-plus": {},
        "codingplan/MiniMax-M2.5": {},
        "codingplan/glm-5": {},
        "codingplan/glm-4.7": {},
        "codingplan/kimi-k2.5": {},
        "bailian/qwen3.5-plus": {},
        "bailian/qwen3-coder-next": {},
        "bailian/qwen3-coder-plus": {}
      },
      "workspace": "/home/jetson/.openclaw/workspace",
      "compaction": {
        "mode": "safeguard"
      },
      "maxConcurrent": 4,
      "subagents": {
        "maxConcurrent": 8
      }
    }
  },

4.2 Model Reference Format Specification

In OpenClaw, all model references use a unified format:

xxxxxxxxxx
provider/modelID

Examples:

Note: If the model ID itself contains / (e.g., moonshotai/kimi-k2), you must provide the full reference in the format openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k2.

5. Appendix: CLI Command Quick Reference