ClawRouter — Smart LLM Router (Direct API Keys)

Smart LLM router that picks the cheapest model capable of handling each request. Uses your own API keys — no crypto, no middleman, no markup.

Forked from BlockRun/ClawRouter, replacing USDC/x402 micropayments with direct provider API keys.

How It Works

1. You provide your own API keys for each provider
2. ClawRouter classifies each request across 15 weighted dimensions in <1ms
3. Routes to the cheapest model that can handle it (4 tiers: SIMPLE → MEDIUM → COMPLEX → REASONING)
4. Falls back through a chain of alternatives if a provider errors

Result: Same smart routing intelligence, but you pay providers directly at their listed prices.

Quick Start

Fastest Setup (one key → all models)

# Install
openclaw plugins install ./ClawRouter

# One OpenRouter key covers all 30+ models
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

# Use smart routing
openclaw models set clawrouter/auto

Optimal Setup (direct keys + OpenRouter fallback)

# Direct keys are cheaper (no middleman markup)
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# OpenRouter covers everything else
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

openclaw models set clawrouter/auto

Direct provider keys take priority. OpenRouter is used as fallback for providers without a direct key.

Standalone

npm install
npm run build

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...
npx clawrouter

Configuration

Environment Variables (recommended)

Variable	Provider	Notes
OPENROUTER_API_KEY	OpenRouter	One key → all models!
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-5, o3)	Direct = cheaper
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Anthropic (Claude)	Direct = cheaper
GOOGLE_API_KEY	Google (Gemini)	Direct = cheaper
XAI_API_KEY	xAI (Grok)	Direct = cheaper
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY	DeepSeek	Direct = cheaper
MOONSHOT_API_KEY	Moonshot (Kimi)	Direct = cheaper
NVIDIA_API_KEY	NVIDIA	Direct = cheaper

Priority: Direct provider key > OpenRouter fallback. If you have both OPENAI_API_KEY and OPENROUTER_API_KEY, OpenAI models use the direct key while other providers fall back to OpenRouter.

Config File

~/.openclaw/clawrouter/config.json:

{
  "providers": {
    "openrouter": { "apiKey": "sk-or-..." },
    "openai": { "apiKey": "sk-..." },
    "anthropic": { "apiKey": "sk-ant-..." }
  }
}

Plugin Config (openclaw.json)

{
  "plugins": {
    "clawrouter": {
      "providers": {
        "openai": { "apiKey": "sk-..." }
      },
      "routing": {
        "overrides": {
          "ambiguousDefaultTier": "COMPLEX"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Routing Tiers

Tier	Use Case	Default Model
SIMPLE	Facts, translations, short answers	Gemini 2.5 Flash
MEDIUM	Code generation, summaries	Grok Code Fast
COMPLEX	System design, analysis	Gemini 2.5 Pro
REASONING	Proofs, formal logic	Grok 4 Fast Reasoning

Models without a configured API key are automatically skipped. The router falls back through alternatives until it finds one with a valid key.

Model Aliases

Use short names: /model sonnet, /model gpt, /model flash, etc.

Alias	Model
auto	Smart router (picks best)
sonnet	Claude Sonnet 4
opus	Claude Opus 4
haiku	Claude Haiku 4.5
gpt	GPT-4o
flash	Gemini 2.5 Flash
deepseek	DeepSeek V3.2 Chat
grok	Grok 3
kimi	Kimi K2.5

Commands

• /stats [days] — Usage statistics and cost savings
• /keys — Show configured API key status

Features Preserved from Original

• ✅ 15-dimension weighted scoring classifier (<1ms, zero cost)
• ✅ 4-tier routing (SIMPLE/MEDIUM/COMPLEX/REASONING)
• ✅ Agentic task auto-detection
• ✅ Fallback chains with rate-limit awareness
• ✅ Session pinning (prevents mid-task model switching)
• ✅ Request deduplication
• ✅ SSE heartbeat (prevents timeout during slow responses)
• ✅ Usage logging and statistics
• ✅ Tool ID sanitization (Anthropic compatibility)
• ✅ Thinking token stripping (Kimi, DeepSeek)
• ✅ Message normalization (roles, Google format, etc.)

What Was Removed

• ❌ USDC/x402 cryptocurrency payments
• ❌ Wallet generation and management
• ❌ Balance monitoring (Base L2 RPC calls)
• ❌ Payment caching and pre-authorization
• ❌ viem dependency (saves ~2MB)
• ❌ BlockRun API gateway dependency

License

MIT