How to Connect OpenClaw to Alibaba Coding Plan: Complete Setup Guide

Integrating OpenClaw with Alibaba's Coding Plan provides access to Qwen models via an OpenAI-compatible API. This setup offers a cost-effective option for light-to-medium coding tasks, though it requires specific configuration steps to function correctly—most notably, disabling the reasoning flag.

This guide walks you through the setup process, from retrieving API credentials to verifying the connection in OpenClaw.

Why Use Alibaba Coding Plan with OpenClaw?

Cost-Efficiency: Alibaba's per-token rates are highly competitive, and the platform includes a generous free tier for initial testing.
Coding Performance: Qwen models offer strong capabilities for straightforward code generation, refactoring, and general developer tasks.
OpenAI Compatibility: The API uses an OpenAI-compatible format, making integration straightforward within standard config structures.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

An active OpenClaw installation (local or VPS).
Access to edit your openclaw.json configuration file.
An active web browser to access the Alibaba platform.

Step 1: Sign Up for Alibaba Coding Plan

Go to the Alibaba Cloud Model Studio and log in or create an account.
Navigate to the Coding Plan section under API services.
Select and activate your desired plan tier (the free tier is sufficient for testing).

Activation is typically instantaneous. If your status shows "pending approval," refresh the dashboard after a few minutes.

Step 2: Retrieve Your API Key

Alibaba Coding Plan uses a distinct key format compared to standard Alibaba Cloud services.

In the Model Studio dashboard, navigate to the API Keys section.
Click Create API Key.
Copy the generated key immediately. It will begin with the prefix sk-sp-. Note that you will not be able to view this key again after closing the window.

[!IMPORTANT] Standard Alibaba Cloud keys starting with LTAI are incompatible with the Coding Plan endpoint. You must use the key starting with sk-sp-.

Step 3: Configure openclaw.json

Locate your OpenClaw configuration file (typically found at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json or in your root installation directory) and add a new provider block:

{
  "providers": {
    "alibaba-coding": {
      "type": "openai-compatible",
      "baseUrl": "https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1",
      "apiKey": "sk-sp-YOUR_KEY_HERE",
      "models": {
        "qwen3-coder-plus": {
          "reasoning": false,
          "maxTokens": 8192,
          "contextWindow": 131072
        },
        "qwen3.5-plus": {
          "reasoning": false,
          "maxTokens": 8192,
          "contextWindow": 131072
        },
        "kimi-k2.5": {
          "reasoning": false,
          "maxTokens": 8192,
          "contextWindow": 131072
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace sk-sp-YOUR_KEY_HERE with the API key generated in Step 2.

Key Parameter Details:

type: Must be set to openai-compatible.
baseUrl: Points to the correct regional endpoint (see Step 4).
models: Lists the target models. You can adjust this list based on what is available in your account.

Step 4: Configure the Base URL by Region

Use the appropriate base URL corresponding to your account region:

Region	Base URL
International	`https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1`
Mainland China	`https://coding.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1`

[!NOTE] Do not add a trailing slash or append /chat/completions to the end of the base URL. OpenClaw handles path routing automatically.

Step 5: Disable Reasoning Parameter

Alibaba’s Coding Plan API endpoint does not support standard OpenAI reasoning parameters. If OpenClaw transmits requests with reasoning: true (often enabled by default on some configuration presets), the request will fail or return an empty response.

Ensure that every model under the alibaba-coding provider block has this option explicitly turned off:

"reasoning": false

If you experience successful connections in your logs but receive empty outputs or 400 Bad Request errors, verify this parameter first.

Step 6: Restart the OpenClaw Gateway

Save your changes to openclaw.json and restart the OpenClaw service to load the new provider:

openclaw restart

If you run OpenClaw via systemd, run:

sudo systemctl restart openclaw

Check the active logs to verify the configuration was loaded successfully:

openclaw logs --tail 20

Look for a verification line indicating the provider loaded: [info] Provider "alibaba-coding" loaded with 3 model(s)

Step 7: Verify Connection

Send a quick test request to ensure the routing and authentication function correctly:

openclaw chat --provider alibaba-coding --model qwen3-coder-plus "Write a hello world function in Python"

To integrate these models into your regular workflow, configure your routing rules in openclaw.json to point tasks to the new models:

{
  "routing": {
    "coding": "alibaba-coding/qwen3-coder-plus",
    "general": "alibaba-coding/qwen3.5-plus"
  }
}

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Symptom	Likely Cause	Solution
`401 Unauthorized`	Invalid API key format	Ensure your key begins with `sk-sp-` and not `LTAI`.
`400 Bad Request` or empty responses	`reasoning` parameter enabled	Explicitly set `"reasoning": false` for all configured Alibaba models.
Connection timeout	Mismatched base URL region	Match the base URL to your account region (international vs. mainland China).
`404 Not Found`	Incorrect base URL path	Remove any trailing slashes or subpaths like `/chat/completions`.
Provider fails to load	Broken JSON formatting	Validate your `openclaw.json` config syntax using a JSON linter.

Security and Best Practices

Restrict Config Permissions: Your configuration file contains sensitive credentials. Secure the file locally by setting permissions appropriately (e.g., chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json).
Manage Log Retention: Be aware that prompts and responses can appear in OpenClaw system logs. Adjust logging levels if you process sensitive data.
Understand Data Routing: Data sent to these endpoints is processed on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure. Ensure this aligns with any data privacy requirements for your project.