#Learning openclaw need help

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

calm pumice
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learning openclaw, need help
what is the third box at top left after model selection which says 'default (adaptive)'

clever lynxBOT
shadow sentinelBOT
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foggy pecanBOT
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That third box is the thinking/reasoning level picker.

Default (adaptive) means:

  • you have not manually overridden thinking for this session
  • OpenClaw is using the model's resolved default
  • for Claude 4.6 on Anthropic, that default is adaptive

So “adaptive” basically means the model/provider decides how much extra reasoning to use, instead of forcing off, low, medium, etc.

One useful detail: if you change that dropdown, it becomes a session override, not just a one-message setting.

Docs:

If you want, I can also explain what the practical difference is between off, low, high, and adaptive.

calm pumice
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Can you explain all the features, categories, options, literally everything in openclaw web, TUI and all and also from https://docs.openclaw.ai/

foggy pecanBOT
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I can teach you OpenClaw, but “literally everything” is too much for one Discord reply. It’s a pretty big system.

Best way is: I give you the map first, then we go section by section.

The big picture

OpenClaw is basically made of these layers:

  1. Gateway

    • the always-on backend
    • handles sessions, models, tools, channels, auth, config, automation

  2. Chat surfaces

    • Web / Control UI
    • TUI (openclaw tui)
    • chat apps like Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.
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  1. Agents

    • named assistants like main, research, etc.
    • each has prompts, tools, routing, defaults

  2. Sessions

    • each conversation lives in a session
    • sessions can have overrides like model, thinking, verbose, trace, delivery

  3. Models

    • OpenAI, Anthropic, local models, etc.
    • model selection + fallback + provider auth

  4. Tools / skills / plugins

    • file read/write, web search, browser, messaging, PDFs, images, exec, etc.
    • skills add workflows and specialized behavior

  5. Automation

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  • cron jobs
    • webhooks
    • recurring tasks

  1. Nodes / media / voice

    • camera, audio, mobile/device integrations, voice workflows

  2. Security + pairing

    • gateway auth
    • device approval
    • exec approvals
    • remote access rules

  3. Config + troubleshooting

  • openclaw.json
  • doctor, logs, health, status, troubleshooting docs
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Web UI / browser stuff

There are 3 separate things people mix up a lot:

1. Control UI

This is the main browser control panel.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/web/control-ui

It can do things like:

  • chat
  • switch model / thinking
  • list sessions
  • patch session settings
  • view/edit config
  • channels status/login
  • skills
  • cron jobs
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  • nodes
  • logs
  • health/debug info
  • updates

2. WebChat

This is the chat experience over the gateway websocket.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/web/webchat

Think of it as:

  • the chat surface itself
  • same sessions/routing rules
  • chat history + send + abort + inject

3. Dashboard / web gateway access

This is the web entry point / browser-facing layer around the gateway.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/web

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TUI

The TUI is the terminal UI:

  • start with openclaw tui
  • lets you chat from terminal
  • has slash commands
  • session/agent/model pickers
  • delivery toggle
  • can show tool cards/output

Docs:

Key TUI ideas:

  • /agent, /session, /model
  • /think, /fast, /verbose, /trace, /reasoning
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  1. Configuration
    https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/configuration

  2. Troubleshooting
    https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/troubleshooting

If you want the shortest mental model

  • Gateway = brainstem/server
  • Control UI = browser control panel
  • WebChat/TUI/Discord/etc. = places you talk to it
  • Agent = which assistant/persona/config you’re using
  • Session = which conversation memory thread you’re in
  • Model = which LLM is answering
  • Thinking = how much reasoning effort it uses
  • Tools = what actions it can take
  • Config = how everything is wired together