Config keeps resetting

Adding Kilo or Vercel AI Gateway? Prove the model route first.

OpenClaw now documents two gateway-style provider paths that can change how model traffic is routed: `kilocode` uses `KILOCODE_API_KEY`, while `vercel-ai-gateway` uses `AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY` and accepts Claude shorthand refs that normalize at runtime. The operator trap is assuming a config edit worked because the key exists. Treat a provider switch as a small change window: set the key where the Gateway process can actually read it, list the provider's models, run one tiny task, and keep the old model route available until the smoke test passes.

OpenClaw web search works free — add a key only when you need more.

OpenClaw now bundles Parallel as a `web_search` provider. If no other provider is configured, `parallel-free` can work without an account or API key; the paid `parallel` provider uses `PARALLEL_API_KEY` for higher limits and tuning. That makes setup easier, but it also means operators should know which provider is actually serving searches before debugging stale results, missing excerpts, or rate limits.

Agent suddenly can’t read files

File access often breaks when onboarding switches tools.profile to a restrictive mode such as messaging-only.