#OpenRouter Model returns nothing or coudn't generate a response

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

sand grotto
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Hi, I’m seeing a weird issue with OpenRouter in OpenClaw 2026.4.15.
Direct OpenRouter API calls work fine with the same API key.
OpenClaw also sees the OpenRouter models and auth profile, but openclaw infer model run --model openrouter/free --prompt "hi" --json returns Agent couldn't generate a response, and logs show:

agent/embedded incomplete turn detected ... payloads=0

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split pulsarBOT
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gentle crescentBOT
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Let me check the docs and the resolver path, because openrouter/free jumps out as suspicious already.

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I think this is a model-ref issue, not an auth issue.

openrouter/free is not the canonical OpenRouter form in the docs. Valid refs are:

  • openrouter/auto
  • openrouter/<provider>/<model>
  • newer compat alias: openrouter:free (with a colon, not a slash)

I checked the current docs/code, and there is a fix after 2026.4.15 specifically for OpenRouter compat alias resolution. So on 2026.4.15, openrouter/free can definitely end up in a bad state and produce the incomplete turn detected ... payloads=0 symptom.

Try these first:

openclaw infer model run --model openrouter/auto --prompt "hi" --json
openclaw infer model run --model openrouter/meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free --prompt "hi" --json