OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a personal agent that runs on your computer and answers in your chat apps. These steps install the Liquid Inference plugin. The plugin adds the exchange to OpenClaw as the model provider liquid.

The plugin holds the exchange URL and the request headers.
OpenClaw saves the buyer key in its credential store.

Start with the Liquid CLI

The Liquid CLI can start OpenClaw with the exchange as its provider. OpenClaw keeps its settings in a file, so set it up one time with the steps below. liquid connect openclaw prints the same setup with your model filled in. Then start a session with liquid openclaw.

curl -fsSL https://inference.ai.exchange/cli/install.sh | bash
liquid login
liquid connect openclaw
liquid openclaw

Before you start

A workspace with a balance and a spend key. See API keys.
OpenClaw 2026.10.5 or later, on Node 24.16 or later. OpenClaw refuses to install on an older Node.

1. Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw

If you already use OpenClaw, keep your install. The steps below add a provider and keep your channels, agents and other providers.

2. Export the buyer key

Replace the placeholder with your buyer key. Use the same shell for each command below.

export LIQUID_API_KEY=sk-liquid-...

Setting	Purpose
`LIQUID_API_KEY`	The buyer key that step 3 saves in OpenClaw.

After step 3, OpenClaw does not read this variable. A gateway that runs as a service uses the saved key.

3. Install the plugin and select the model

openclaw plugins install clawhub:@architect-xyz/[email protected] --accept-capabilities &&
printf '%s\n' "$LIQUID_API_KEY" | openclaw models auth paste-api-key --provider liquid --agent main &&
openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "liquid/liquid.auto"

The commands do these things:

The first command installs the Liquid Inference plugin from ClawHub. It adds the provider liquid and keeps your other providers. --accept-capabilities accepts what the plugin declares: a model provider.
The second command saves the key in OpenClaw's credential store, under the profile liquid:manual of the agent main. Other agents use the key of main. The key is not in openclaw.json.
The third command makes the model the default for new sessions.

The && at the end of a line stops the list when a command fails.

To change the key, run the second command again with the new key. If agents.defaults.authInheritance names an agent other than main, put that agent's id after --agent.

The plugin sets these values for the provider:

Setting	Value	Purpose
Exchange URL	`https://router.inference.ai.exchange/v1`	Where OpenClaw sends model requests.
`api`	`openai-completions`	Sends Chat Completions requests.
`contextWindow`	From the exchange's model list; `128000` for `liquid.auto`	When OpenClaw compacts a long session.
`maxTokens`	`16384`	The output limit of each request.

The plugin reads the exchange's model list at start, so openclaw models list --refresh shows every model on the exchange.

OpenClaw sends these headers with each model request:

Header	Value	Purpose
`X-Title`	`OpenClaw`	Identifies OpenClaw on the receipt.
`x-liquid-cap-usd`	`1`	Limits the charge for each request.

To send another header, such as a purchasing rule, set plugins.entries.liquid.config.headers. See Purchasing rules.

4. Send a first request

openclaw agent exec --json "Reply with the word ready"

The command runs one turn on the local agent and prints JSON. Check two things:

final contains ready.
Credits → Receipts shows the charge and the OpenClaw client label.

5. Start a session

openclaw chat

openclaw chat opens the terminal UI on the local agent. A gateway that is already running uses the new provider without a restart.

To use another model, run the last command of step 3 again with that model. Any name on the exchange works as liquid/<name>: an exact model, a router model or a preset. See Connect an app.

Control the cost

The x-liquid-cap-usd header limits each request. To set a different cap:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.liquid.config.capUsd 0.25 --strict-json

The request cap does not limit the total charge. A task can cause several requests, and an agent that answers your chat apps can run many tasks each day. Set a spend limit on the key to limit total spend. See API keys.

Use a preset for other purchasing rules. See Purchasing rules.

Refusals and fallback models

OpenClaw sends a refused request again before it shows an error:

Response	What OpenClaw does
`429`	Tries up to 10 times in about 3 minutes.
`503`	Tries up to 8 times in about 90 seconds.
`400`	Shows the error at once.
`402`	Marks the key as disabled for 10 minutes.

A refused request costs nothing. The exchange sends 402 when the balance or a spend limit does not cover the request. OpenClaw tries the saved key again on the next turn, so a turn after you add funds or raise the limit works.

Fallback models

If agents.defaults.model.fallbacks names a model at another provider, OpenClaw sends each refused request to that provider. The turn succeeds, but:

The other provider charges you.
No Liquid Inference receipt shows the request.

To keep every request on the exchange, remove the fallbacks, or name only liquid/ models:

openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.fallbacks '[]' --strict-json

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause and fix
The install says that this release requires a newer Node.	Install Node 24.16 or later, then install again.
`401`	The saved key is wrong or expired. Run the second command of step 3 again with a valid key.
`403`	Check the key's `spend` scope, address restriction and preset rules.
`402`	Add credit to the workspace or raise the spend limit, then send again.
OpenClaw says that `liquid` is disabled after a billing failure.	A `402` refused a request. Add credit or raise the spend limit, then send again.
A turn succeeded, and no receipt shows it.	A fallback model at another provider answered. See Refusals and fallback models.
`404`	`plugins.entries.liquid.config.baseUrl` is set and does not end in `/v1`.
OpenClaw says that the plugin needs a newer release.	The plugin needs OpenClaw 2026.10.5 or later. Install OpenClaw again.
`openclaw config set` says that it requires exclusive offline state ownership.	A newer OpenClaw refuses a config change while a gateway runs. Run `openclaw gateway stop`, then the command, then start the gateway again.
The error names `no_eligible_offer`.	Read `eligibility.excluded` in the error. It names the rule that each offer did not meet.
`cap_exceeds_buyer_cap`	Increase the request cap or select a cheaper model.

See Errors for the exchange's error codes and causes.

Next steps

Market data: models and live offers.
API keys: key scope and spend limits.
Purchasing rules: request caps and presets.