Switch Inference Providers

Move a sandbox to another provider family while keeping the OpenShell route, agent configuration, and host registry aligned. Use onboarding first when the target is neither compatible-endpoint nor compatible-anthropic-endpoint and is not registered. The compatible endpoint workflow below can register an absent custom provider from complete route metadata.

Find a Registered Provider

List the configured provider credentials when you need the exact provider ID.

$
nemoclaw credentials list

inference set also accepts installer-facing provider names such as anthropicCompatible, build, and custom. NemoClaw normalizes an accepted alias to its canonical OpenShell provider ID and records the canonical name in the sandbox registry.

If OpenShell cannot find a requested provider other than compatible-endpoint or compatible-anthropic-endpoint, NemoClaw leaves the route and sandbox state unchanged. Run nemoclaw onboard to register the provider, then retry the switch. For a compatible custom endpoint, pass the complete route metadata described below so NemoClaw can register the provider.

Switch the Provider at Runtime

Pass the target provider and model together. Target a non-default sandbox by name. The shields commands take a positional name. inference set takes --sandbox <name>.

$
nemoclaw <name> shields down
$
nemoclaw inference set --provider <provider> --model <model> --sandbox <name>
$
nemoclaw <name> shields up

For OpenClaw, NemoClaw updates the provider namespace and selected model in the running configuration. Changes within the current API family hot-reload without replacing the gateway process. When the API family changes, NemoClaw commits the route and configuration, then restarts only the OpenClaw gateway and verifies its health.

If the in-sandbox configuration sync fails after the gateway route changes, NemoClaw keeps the gateway and host registry aligned and prints a rebuild hint. Run the rebuild before relying on the running agent.

Use --no-verify only when OpenShell cannot verify the target provider at switch time and you have already confirmed its provider and credential. This flag does not bypass shared-gateway compatibility checks.

Handle Compatible Endpoints

When moving from another provider family to compatible-endpoint or compatible-anthropic-endpoint, provide the trusted endpoint URL and enough API metadata to record the complete route identity. Export the canonical credential environment variable for the target provider. Run this command within the shields-down window shown in the runtime switching workflow.

$
export COMPATIBLE_API_KEY="<api-key>"
$
nemoclaw inference set \
>
  --provider compatible-endpoint \
>
  --model <model-name> \
>
  --endpoint-url <trusted-url> \
>
  --credential-env COMPATIBLE_API_KEY \
>
  --inference-api openai-completions \
>
  --sandbox <name>

NemoClaw validates the endpoint before it changes the route. For an HTTPS IP-literal or DNS-pinned HTTP endpoint, NemoClaw registers and verifies an absent provider before selecting the route. If OpenShell still reports the provider as absent, NemoClaw retries the switch once. If route selection fails, NemoClaw removes a newly created provider and leaves the inference selection unchanged. For a DNS-backed HTTPS endpoint, NemoClaw registers the HTTPS Pin Runtime provider before the first route attempt.

Supported API-family values are openai-completions, anthropic-messages, and openai-responses. For a Hermes compatible-anthropic-endpoint target, omit --inference-api because NemoClaw selects openai-completions. An explicit different API family is rejected for that route.

To switch only the model for an existing compatible provider, omit the endpoint options. NemoClaw reuses the endpoint in the sandbox registry and verifies the selected route. To change a direct compatible provider’s custom endpoint or credential binding, re-run onboarding with the requested binding. inference set refuses to replace an existing direct binding because OpenShell does not expose the previous provider configuration required for rollback. A rebuild reuses the recorded endpoint and cannot change it.

DNS-backed HTTPS routes use an HTTPS Pin Runtime binding. If that binding update fails after OpenShell selects the new route, NemoClaw attempts to restore the previously recorded provider and model. The command still exits nonzero because the binding might be partially updated. If NemoClaw cannot restore the previous selection, do not use the route until you re-run onboarding.

Account for Shared Gateways

One gateway has one live route even when NemoClaw records different intended routes for its sandboxes. Review Use Shared Gateway Routes before changing a provider that another registered sandbox shares. Runtime inference set also refuses a change that would leave another registered sandbox with a different recorded route.

Related Topics

• View the Active Inference Route to inspect the route before and after a switch.
• Use Shared Gateway Routes when multiple sandboxes use one gateway.
• Switch Models when the provider does not change.
• Set Up an OpenAI-Compatible Endpoint to register a custom route through onboarding.