#Cant select model and ad api key during ibsgallation

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

west willow
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I try to install openclaw on a linux vps.
Unfortunally i can't select the ai model anymore during Installation and i can't add the api key for the ai model.
Does anyone has a solution?

onyx flumeBOT
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wicked escarpBOT
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This usually happens for one of three reasons on a Linux VPS:

  1. you’re not in the “models” section of the wizard (or the wizard auto-skipped because config already exists)
  2. the Gateway is running via systemd, so it doesn’t see API keys you exported in your shell
  3. you have a model allowlist (agents.defaults.models) that’s empty / missing the model you’re trying to pick

1) First: what version + what command?

On the VPS, run and paste (no secrets):

openclaw --version

And tell me which you ran:

  • openclaw onboard (recommended), or
  • openclaw setup, or
  • Docker/Railway template, etc.
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2) Quick fix: re-run just the model setup

On the VPS:

openclaw configure --section models

That’s the interactive place to (a) add the API key/auth and (b) set the default model / model picker list.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/configure

3) If you did add the API key but it “doesn’t work” (common on VPS)

If your Gateway runs as a service, it may not inherit your shell env vars.

Fix: put the key in ~/.openclaw/.env (the wizard will do this for API keys), or enable shell env loading. The FAQ calls this out explicitly.
Docs (FAQ, “No credentials found… / env var not loaded by systemd/launchd”): https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq

4) If you can’t “select” models because none show up / “not allowed”

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If agents.defaults.models is set, it becomes the allowlist for what shows up in /model and the picker. So if it’s empty/missing entries, you can’t select much.

You can confirm what OpenClaw thinks is available:

openclaw models status
openclaw models list

(And openclaw configure --section models is the easiest way to fix the allowlist.)

If you paste one more thing, I can be specific

Please paste (redact tokens/keys):

openclaw status