OpenClaw stopped working with Claude? You're in the right place.
Anthropic blocked Claude subscription logins from OpenClaw on April 4, 2026. Switch to a free model in 3 commands — no scripts, no manual config editing.
Step 1: Get a free API key
→ openrouter.ai/keys — free account, no credit card
Step 2: Switch provider
openclaw onboard --auth-choice apiKey --token-provider openrouter --token YOUR_KEYStep 3: Set a free model and restart
openclaw models set openrouter/qwen/qwen3.6-plus:free
openclaw gateway restartDone. OpenClaw is now running on Qwen3.6 Plus (1M context, free).
(from openrouter.ai/rankings, updated 2026-04-04)
| # | Model | ID for OpenClaw | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3.6 Plus Preview 🔥 | openrouter/qwen/qwen3.6-plus-preview:free |
1M |
| 2 | Qwen3.6 Plus 🔥 | openrouter/qwen/qwen3.6-plus:free |
1M |
| 3 | Step 3.5 Flash | openrouter/stepfun/step-3.5-flash:free |
256k |
| 4 | NVIDIA: Nemotron 3 Super | openrouter/nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b:free |
1M |
| 5 | OpenAI: gpt-oss-120b | openrouter/openai/gpt-oss-120b:free |
131k |
| 6 | MiniMax M2.5 | openrouter/minimax/minimax-m2.5:free |
204k |
Switch to any of them: openclaw models set <ID>
Rankings change daily. Check openrouter.ai/rankings for the latest.
| Provider | How to get key | Setup command |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | aistudio.google.com | openclaw onboard --auth-choice google-api-key |
| Groq (fastest) | console.groq.com | openclaw onboard --auth-choice groq-api-key |
| Ollama (local/cloud) | ollama.com | openclaw onboard --auth-choice ollama |
| Provider | Cost | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| OpenRouter paid | from $0.05/MTok | Same as free setup above |
| Mistral | from $0.02/MTok | openclaw onboard --auth-choice mistral-api-key |
| DeepSeek | ~$0.27/MTok | openclaw onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-key |
| Kilo Gateway | from $0.06/MTok | openclaw onboard --auth-choice kilocode-api-key --kilocode-api-key YOUR_KEY |
What's a MTok? One million tokens ≈ about 750,000 words. Light daily use costs pennies.
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
openai/gpt-4o
z-ai/glm-5:free
minimax/minimax-m2.1:free
:freemeans the model currently has a free variant. Availability and rate limits can change.
- OpenRouter — recommended, 350+ models
- Google Gemini — great free tier
- Groq — fastest inference
- Ollama — local + cloud free tier
- Kilo Gateway — OpenRouter wrapper +
kilo/autoClaude router - Mistral — cheapest, audio transcription + memory embeddings
- DeepSeek — powerful and cheap
- OpenAI / GPT-5.4 — ChatGPT Pro or API key
- LiteLLM proxy — advanced: run your own unified gateway
📊 Full model comparison | 🏆 OpenRouter rankings | 📋 Kilo leaderboard
Let your OpenClaw agent automatically help users who hit the Claude auth error:
openclaw skills install claude-to-freeBlueBirdBack offers OpenClaw rescue from $99 — fixed price, async.
Community resource. Not affiliated with Anthropic or OpenClaw. Built by BlueBirdBack with help from Ash and Six — OpenClaw agents. Rankings update daily.