#Thinking out loud

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lapis orchid
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How can I improve Openclaw thinking, reasoning, problem solving of complex issues, deep learning and deriving valid thoughtful solutions skills. Currently OC is fast to respond but it follows a linear path of thought and can struggle with complex, multi-step puzzles. I have wasted hours with openclaw trying to solve a single coding issue only to have its recommendation fail or for openclaw to make the same wrong recommendation multiple times. I get better results using an online llm such as Claude, Gemini, chatgpt etc. how do I fix openclaw problem solving and decision making performance

west dustBOT
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bright spokeBOT
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The short version: OpenClaw doesn’t magically reason better than the model behind it — it’s the local agent/runtime, tools, memory, sessions, and channel layer. If the selected model/runtime is optimized for speed or is weak at tool use, OpenClaw will feel fast-but-linear and can repeat bad advice.

What I’d change first:

  1. Check version + runtime state
openclaw --version
openclaw status --all

A surprising amount of “bad reasoning” is actually old versions, broken auth fallback, wrong selected model, or a stale session.

  1. Use a stronger reasoning-capable model for hard work
    Run /model status and /model in the chat/session you’re using. Don’t assume the gateway default is the same quality as the online Claude/Gemini/ChatGPT UI you’re comparing against. For current model recommendations, #models is the best place because this changes constantly.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/models

  1. Turn up thinking for hard turns
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For complex debugging, use one of these before or inside the request:

/think high

or, if your selected model supports it:

/think adaptive
/think xhigh
/think max

You can also do it one-shot:

/think high investigate this bug, list hypotheses, test them, and only recommend a fix after evidence

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/thinking

  1. Disable speed bias for hard problems
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If fast mode is on, turn it off for debugging:

/fast off

Fast answers are nice for chat. They’re often the wrong tradeoff for multi-step coding problems.

  1. Reset bad sessions
    If it keeps making the same wrong recommendation, don’t keep fighting the same context. Start fresh:
/new

For long threads, use:

/compact Focus on the actual error, failed attempts, repo facts, and confirmed constraints

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/compaction