Build with OpenClaw - SambaNova Integration Guide

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs directly on your own devices. It responds through the messaging platforms you already use, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Signal, iMessage, Microsoft Teams, and WebChat, as well as extended channels like BlueBubbles, Matrix, Zalo, and Zalo Personal. It can talk and listen on macOS, iOS, and Android, and display a live, interactive Canvas that you manage. The Gateway serves only as the control layer, the real product is the assistant itself.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following set up:

A free SambaCloud account and API key
Node.js 22.22.3+, 24.15+, 25.9+, or 26 (recommended). The installer script provisions Node automatically if it is missing.

Confirm your Node.js version:

node --version

# Expected output
v26.x.x

Setup

Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Confirm the install:

openclaw --version

# Expected output
OpenClaw <version>

npm 12 blocks package lifecycle scripts by default, which skips OpenClaw’s preinstall and postinstall steps. If your install reports blocked scripts, allow them explicitly:

npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts openclaw

Start OpenClaw

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The onboarding wizard runs once, installs the Gateway as a background service, and opens the Control UI in your browser. Follow the quick-start prompts and keep the default configuration.

Open the Control UI

The Control UI is served at http://127.0.0.1:18789 by default. To reopen it later, run:

openclaw dashboard

Confirm the Gateway is running:

openclaw gateway status

The output should show Runtime: running and Connectivity probe: ok.

Add SambaNova as a provider

Add the SambaNova provider configuration

Open ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json in a text editor and add the following keys to the top-level object, replacing <YOUR-API-KEY> with your SambaCloud API key from the SambaCloud portal.

"models": {
  "providers": {
    "sambanova": {
      "baseUrl": "https://api.sambanova.ai/v1",
      "apiKey": "<YOUR-API-KEY>",
      "auth": "api-key",
      "api": "openai-completions",
      "models": [
        {
          "id": "MiniMax-M2.7",
          "name": "MiniMax-M2.7",
          "reasoning": true,
          "input": ["text"],
          "cost": { "input": 0, "output": 0, "cacheRead": 0, "cacheWrite": 0 },
          "contextWindow": 192000,
          "maxTokens": 16000,
          "compat": { "maxTokensField": "max_tokens" }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
},
"agents": {
  "defaults": {
    "model": {
      "primary": "sambanova/MiniMax-M2.7"
    }
  }
},

~/.openclaw/openclaw.json is JSON5, so comments and trailing commas are allowed. If an agents key already exists in your config, merge the defaults.model.primary value into it rather than adding a duplicate key.

Validate the config

Before restarting, confirm the file has no syntax errors:

openclaw config validate

# Expected output
Config valid: <path>

If validation fails, open the file and fix the reported line. Common mistakes: a missing comma between top-level keys, or a mismatched brace.

Restart the Gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Verify the model is registered

openclaw models list

sambanova/MiniMax-M2.7 appears in the list with default,configured in the Tags column.

Start using SambaNova models

Return to the chat in the upper-left sidebar of the Control UI and send a message. You can also switch models from the chat by running /model sambanova/MiniMax-M2.7.

OpenClaw chat interface using a SambaNova model

Troubleshooting

Config validation fails after editing openclaw.json

Run openclaw config validate to see the exact error. The most common causes are a missing comma between top-level JSON keys, a mismatched brace or bracket, or a stray character near the edit. The file is JSON5, so trailing commas inside objects and arrays are allowed — the issue is usually a missing comma between sibling keys at the top level.

Model override is not allowed

If agents.defaults.modelPolicy.allow is set, it acts as an allowlist for every model selection. Add sambanova/MiniMax-M2.7 or the sambanova/* wildcard to that list, or remove the list to allow any model.

Model not found

OpenClaw model refs use the format provider/model, so always use sambanova/MiniMax-M2.7. Run openclaw models list to confirm the model appears with configured in the flags column. If it does not, confirm the models.providers.sambanova block was added correctly and that openclaw gateway restart ran after the edit.

Authentication errors from SambaNova

Confirm apiKey under models.providers.sambanova in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json holds a valid key from the SambaCloud portal. After editing the config, run openclaw config validate, then openclaw gateway restart, and verify with openclaw models status.

npm reports blocked lifecycle scripts

npm 12 blocks package lifecycle scripts by default, so OpenClaw’s preinstall and postinstall steps are skipped. Reinstall with npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts openclaw.

The Control UI does not open

Run openclaw dashboard to reopen it, or browse to http://127.0.0.1:18789 directly. Check that the Gateway is running with openclaw gateway status, and run openclaw doctor for configuration issues.

Overview

Developer tools

Frameworks

Interfaces and low-code

Data and infrastructure

Multimodal

Evaluation and monitoring

OpenClaw integration guide

Prerequisites

Setup

Add SambaNova as a provider

Troubleshooting

Additional resources

​Prerequisites

​Setup

​Add SambaNova as a provider

​Troubleshooting

​Additional resources

Prerequisites

Setup

Add SambaNova as a provider

Troubleshooting

Additional resources