OpenClaw API Key: Which Key Does Your AI Agent Need? (Complete Guide 2026)

You installed OpenClaw. The setup wizard is running. Then it asks for an API key. Which one? From where? And will it cost you $200 next month if you pick wrong?

I built ClawHosters, a managed hosting platform for OpenClaw. I've been through this setup process hundreds of times. This guide covers which OpenClaw API key you need, how to get it, and why you might not need one at all.

What Is an OpenClaw API Key and Why Do You Need One?

An OpenClaw API key connects your AI agent to a language model (LLM). OpenClaw itself is an open-source AI agent framework that runs on your server. It can chat on Telegram, browse the web, execute code, and use tools. OpenClaw is an example of AI-powered automation that goes beyond simple chatbots.

But without an LLM behind it, it's a car without an engine. Looks nice, but it won't drive.

The OpenClaw API key tells the LLM provider: "This agent belongs to my account, and I'm paying the bill."

No OpenClaw API key means no responses. Your agent sits there doing nothing. Whether you manage the key yourself or use a managed solution is a separate decision. More on that in a minute.

Which LLM Providers Work with OpenClaw?

OpenClaw supports five providers, and the differences are bigger than you'd think. DeepSeek costs 10x less than Claude. Gemini has a context window that fits half a novel. GPT-4o is the all-rounder everyone knows. Which one fits your use case? Here's the honest breakdown.

If you're planning to run more than just a single OpenClaw agent and need enterprise-level workflows, take a look at professional LLM workflow integration.

Anthropic (Claude)

Claude is currently one of the strongest models for extended conversations and complex tasks. If your agent needs to analyze legal documents or handle hours-long conversations, Claude is the first choice. Anthropic offers Claude Sonnet (fast, affordable) and Claude Opus (slower but significantly better at hard problems). For most OpenClaw use cases, Sonnet is enough.

If you're not just running a personal agent but planning enterprise-wide deployment, Claude AI setup for businesses can make the difference.

Pricing: Input tokens from $3 per million, output tokens from $15 per million (Claude Sonnet). Sounds cheap, but with heavy usage that adds up to $10 to $40 per month. Sometimes more, depending on how chatty your agent is.

OpenAI (GPT)

GPT-4o is the all-rounder. Fast, reliable, large context window. OpenAI also has the broadest tool integration and the most developer resources out there. If you're unsure, GPT-4o is a solid starting point.

Pricing: Input from $2.50, output from $10 per million tokens (GPT-4o). Comparable to Claude Sonnet.

Google (Gemini)

Gemini 2.5 Pro has a massive context window (up to 1 million tokens) and excels at multimodal tasks (images, code, text). Pricing is competitive, and Google AI Studio makes getting started simple.

Pricing: Input from $1.25, output from $10 per million tokens (Gemini 2.5 Flash).

DeepSeek

DeepSeek is the price disruptor. According to a 2026 pricing analysis by CloudIDR, the Chinese models triggered a full-on price war in the LLM space. DeepSeek V3 costs a fraction of Western competitors while still delivering good results. The API is compatible with OpenAI's SDK, which makes integration straightforward.

Pricing: Input from $0.27, output from $1.10 per million tokens. That's 10x cheaper than Claude.

OpenRouter

OpenRouter isn't a model itself. It's a gateway to 100+ models through a single API key. Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and many more. Useful if you want to test different models without creating accounts everywhere.

Pricing: Varies by model. OpenRouter adds a small markup on top of provider prices.

How to Get Your OpenClaw API Key

Here's the step-by-step for each provider. The process is similar everywhere: create account, generate OpenClaw API key, store it safely.

Anthropic (Claude API Key)

1. Go to console.anthropic.com and create an account
2. Verify your email
3. Add a payment method (credit card)
4. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
5. Click Create Key
6. Copy the key immediately. Anthropic shows it only once. Lose it and you'll need to generate a new one. (Don't ask how I know this.)

OpenAI (GPT API Key)

1. Go to platform.openai.com
2. Create an account or sign in
3. Add a payment method
4. Click Create new secret key
5. Give it a name (e.g., "OpenClaw Agent")
6. Copy and store the key. OpenAI recommends using environment variables, never hardcoding it.

Google (Gemini API Key)

1. Go to aistudio.google.com
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Click Get API Key
4. Select a Google Cloud project (one is created automatically if you don't have one)
5. Copy the key. Google recommends setting up API key restrictions to limit potential damage if the key leaks.

DeepSeek

1. Go to platform.deepseek.com
2. Create an account
3. Top up credits (prepaid system)
4. Create an API key under API Keys
5. Copy the key

OpenRouter

1. Go to openrouter.ai
2. Create an account
3. Add a payment method or top up credits
4. Create a key under Keys
5. Set a spending limit (recommended)

OpenClaw API Key Security: What You Need to Know

Your OpenClaw API key is basically a password to your credit card. If someone gets your key, they can make AI requests on your tab. And it happens faster than you'd think.

In 2024 alone, GitHub detected 39 million leaked secrets, including 13 million API credentials in public repositories. These aren't isolated incidents from careless beginners – this happens to large companies too.

One developer accidentally pushed AWS credentials to GitHub. Within hours, bots scraped the credentials and spun up crypto mining instances. The bill: over $50,000. And in December 2024, a compromised API key led to a security breach at the U.S. Treasury Department. If the U.S. government struggles with API key management, you should probably take it seriously too.

The Rules That Matter for Your OpenClaw API Key

Never store API keys in your code. Use environment variables. Create a .env file and load your keys from there. Netlify's guide walks through this step by step.

Add .env to .gitignore. Always. Before your first commit.

Revoke exposed keys immediately, don't just delete the file. Once a key hits a public repo, it's already been scraped. Deleting the file doesn't help.

Set spending limits. All major providers offer monthly caps. Use them. A forgotten OpenClaw API key without a limit can get expensive fast.

Rotate keys regularly. Every few months, generate a new key and revoke the old one. This limits damage if a key gets compromised without you noticing.

OpenClaw Without Your Own API Key: The Managed Alternative

I'll be upfront: I built ClawHosters, so I'm biased here. But the point stands regardless. API key management is unnecessary complexity for most people.

You want an AI agent that responds on Telegram, summarizes your emails, or researches stuff on the web. You don't want to configure environment variables, monitor spending dashboards, and rotate OpenClaw API keys every few months.

ClawHosters gives you two options:

BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)

You bring your own OpenClaw API key. ClawHosters handles the server, Docker, updates, and security. You enter your key in the dashboard, and it's stored encrypted on your own VPS instance. No third party has access.

Good for: Developers who want full control over their LLM provider. Or people with existing API contracts.

Managed LLM (No Key Needed)

You pick a model in the dashboard. Claude, GPT, Gemini, whatever. ClawHosters sets up the connection. You don't need your own account at Anthropic or OpenAI, no OpenClaw API key, no payment method there. The cost is included in your hosting plan.

Good for: Anyone who just wants a working AI agent. No API key setup, no security risk, no billing surprises.

I built it this way because I watched too many people give up at the OpenClaw API key step. Not because it's hard, but because it's friction that doesn't need to exist. People who want an AI assistant on Telegram don't care about token pricing or environment variables. They want it to work.

BYOK vs. Managed LLM: The Honest Comparison

Both approaches are valid. If you're a developer who wants precise control over which model runs with which parameters, BYOK makes sense. If you want a working agent without the overhead, go managed.

What I'd honestly advise against: OpenClaw setup entirely self-hosted if you're not a Linux admin. Setting up the server, configuring Docker, hardening the firewall, managing updates. In my experience, that's 14 to 20 hours of work the first time around (if everything goes smoothly). At a billing rate of EUR 50/hour, that's EUR 700 to 1,000 in time cost. You could get the ClawHosters Budget tier for more than a year with that money. As an alternative to bare VPS, there's also professional managed hosting that handles updates, security, and maintenance.

Cost Comparison: What Does Your AI Agent Actually Cost?

API costs are only part of the equation. Here's an honest breakdown.

Self-Hosting with Your Own OpenClaw API Key

• VPS server: EUR 5-20/month (Hetzner, DigitalOcean)

• API costs: EUR 5-50/month (varies by usage and model)

• Setup time: 14-20 hours one-time (if everything goes smoothly)

• Maintenance: 2-4 hours/month for updates, monitoring, and the occasional "why isn't this working anymore?"

• First year total: approximately EUR 120-840 API + EUR 60-240 server + setup time

ClawHosters (Budget Tier)

• Hosting + LLM: EUR 19/month

• Setup time: under 1 minute

• Maintenance: zero (updates, security, backups included)

• First year total: EUR 228

Gartner projects that over 80% of enterprises will have used generative AI APIs by 2026, up from less than 5% in 2023. More and more people will face this exact decision. And for most of them, a managed solution will be the better call.

Common OpenClaw API Key Errors and How to Fix Them

If you go the BYOK route, here are the four most common issues:

"Invalid API Key": The key was copied incorrectly, has expired, or you entered a key from the wrong provider. Check that the key matches your selected provider. Claude keys start with sk-ant-, OpenAI keys start with sk-. If you paste an OpenAI key into the Claude config, this is exactly what happens. (Don't worry, everyone does this once.)

"Insufficient Credits": Your balance is empty. DeepSeek and OpenRouter use prepaid systems, so you need to top up first. For Anthropic and OpenAI, you need a valid payment method on file.

"Rate Limit Exceeded": You're sending too many requests too quickly. Every provider has rate limits, especially for new accounts. Wait a moment and try again, or request a higher limit.

"Connection Timeout": The LLM provider is temporarily unreachable. Rare, but it happens. With OpenClaw without API key managed solution, ClawHosters handles these issues. When self-hosting OpenClaw, there's not much you can do except wait.

What Now?

You have two paths:

Option 1: You grab an OpenClaw API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, or DeepSeek. You set up the server, configure environment variables, monitor costs, rotate keys every few months. It works. Costs you 14 to 20 hours the first time (if everything goes smoothly), plus 2 to 4 hours per month in maintenance.

Option 2: You go to ClawHosters, pick a model, click deploy. Your agent is live in 60 seconds. No OpenClaw API key needed, no server configuration, no maintenance. Starting at EUR 19/month, everything included.

Both work. The question is just: Do you want to build an AI agent or do you want to have an AI agent?