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OAuth

OpenClaw supports “subscription auth” via OAuth for providers that offer it (notably OpenAI Codex (ChatGPT OAuth)). For Anthropic subscriptions, use the setup-token flow. Anthropic subscription use outside Claude Code has been restricted for some users in the past, so treat it as a user-choice risk and verify current Anthropic policy yourself. OpenAI Codex OAuth is explicitly supported for use in external tools like OpenClaw. This page explains: For Anthropic in production, API key auth is the safer recommended path over subscription setup-token auth.
  • how the OAuth token exchange works (PKCE)
  • where tokens are stored (and why)
  • how to handle multiple accounts (profiles + per-session overrides)
OpenClaw also supports provider plugins that ship their own OAuth or API‑key flows. Run them via: 
openclaw models auth login --provider <id>

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The token sink (why it exists)

OAuth providers commonly mint a new refresh token during login/refresh flows. Some providers (or OAuth clients) can invalidate older refresh tokens when a new one is issued for the same user/app. Practical symptom:
  • you log in via OpenClaw and via Claude Code / Codex CLI → one of them randomly gets “logged out” later
To reduce that, OpenClaw treats auth-profiles.json as a token sink:
  • the runtime reads credentials from one place
  • we can keep multiple profiles and route them deterministically

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Storage (where tokens live)

Secrets are stored per-agent:
  • Auth profiles (OAuth + API keys + optional value-level refs): ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
  • Legacy compatibility file: ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth.json (static api_key entries are scrubbed when discovered)
Legacy import-only file (still supported, but not the main store):
  • ~/.openclaw/credentials/oauth.json (imported into auth-profiles.json on first use)
All of the above also respect $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR (state dir override). Full reference: /gateway/configuration For static secret refs and runtime snapshot activation behavior, see Secrets Management.

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Anthropic setup-token (subscription auth)

Anthropic setup-token support is technical compatibility, not a policy guarantee. Anthropic has blocked some subscription usage outside Claude Code in the past. Decide for yourself whether to use subscription auth, and verify Anthropic’s current terms.
Run claude setup-token on any machine, then paste it into OpenClaw: 
openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic
If you generated the token elsewhere, paste it manually: 
openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic
Verify: 
openclaw models status

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OAuth exchange (how login works)

OpenClaw’s interactive login flows are implemented in @mariozechner/pi-ai and wired into the wizards/commands.

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Anthropic setup-token

Flow shape:
  1. run claude setup-token
  2. paste the token into OpenClaw
  3. store as a token auth profile (no refresh)
The wizard path is openclaw onboard → auth choice setup-token (Anthropic).

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OpenAI Codex (ChatGPT OAuth)

OpenAI Codex OAuth is explicitly supported for use outside the Codex CLI, including OpenClaw workflows. Flow shape (PKCE):
  1. generate PKCE verifier/challenge + random state
  2. open https://auth.openai.com/oauth/authorize?...
  3. try to capture callback on http://127.0.0.1:1455/auth/callback
  4. if callback can’t bind (or you’re remote/headless), paste the redirect URL/code
  5. exchange at https://auth.openai.com/oauth/token
  6. extract accountId from the access token and store { access, refresh, expires, accountId }
Wizard path is openclaw onboard → auth choice openai-codex.

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Refresh + expiry

Profiles store an expires timestamp. At runtime:
  • if expires is in the future → use the stored access token
  • if expired → refresh (under a file lock) and overwrite the stored credentials
The refresh flow is automatic; you generally don’t need to manage tokens manually.

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Multiple accounts (profiles) + routing

Two patterns:

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1) Preferred: separate agents

If you want “personal” and “work” to never interact, use isolated agents (separate sessions + credentials + workspace): 
openclaw agents add work
openclaw agents add personal
Then configure auth per-agent (wizard) and route chats to the right agent.

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2) Advanced: multiple profiles in one agent

auth-profiles.json supports multiple profile IDs for the same provider. Pick which profile is used:
  • globally via config ordering (auth.order)
  • per-session via /model ...@<profileId>
Example (session override):
  • /model Opus@anthropic:work
How to see what profile IDs exist:
  • openclaw channels list --json (shows auth[])
Related docs: