fix: configurable model name + debug logging (#21) by freema · Pull Request #22 · freema/openclaw-mcp

freema · 2026-03-28T11:38:22Z

Summary

Fix hardcoded model: 'claude-opus-4-5' → default 'openclaw' (configurable via OPENCLAW_MODEL env var / --model CLI flag)
Implement DEBUG=true logging that was documented but never wired up — now logs request/response bodies for troubleshooting (credentials redacted, headers never logged, bodies truncated to 4096 chars)
Add bridge/gateway compatibility table to docs

Closes #21

Changes

src/openclaw/client.ts — configurable model param, debug logging in request() method
src/utils/logger.ts — setDebugEnabled() + logDebug() functions
src/cli.ts — --model / -m and --debug CLI options (respects DEBUG=true and NODE_ENV=development)
src/openclaw/registry.ts — passes model to all client instances
src/index.ts — wires debug + model through registry
Config — .env.example, docker-compose.yml updated
Docs — configuration.md, logging.md, installation.md, deployment.md, README.md
Tests — new tests for custom model, logDebug, setDebugEnabled

Test plan

npm run typecheck — 0 errors
npm run test:run — 136/136 passed
npm run lint — clean
npm run build — success
End-to-end test against live gateway (waiting for reporter confirmation)

Change hardcoded model 'claude-opus-4-5' to configurable OPENCLAW_MODEL (default: 'openclaw') matching gateway API contract since 2026.3.24. Implement DEBUG=true logging that was documented but never wired up. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Model was hardcoded to 'openclaw' which works for current gateways, but should be configurable for custom agent routing setups. Mirrors freema/openclaw-mcp#22. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR addresses gateway compatibility issues by making the chat completion model configurable and by wiring up the previously documented debug logging so request/response payloads can be inspected during troubleshooting.

Changes:

Replace hardcoded chat model with a default openclaw, configurable via OPENCLAW_MODEL and --model/-m.
Add debug logging support (DEBUG=true / --debug) and emit request/response diagnostics (with redaction + truncation).
Update docs and example configs to reflect the new model/debug options and compatibility guidance.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 15 out of 15 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
src/utils/logger.ts	Adds debug enablement and `logDebug()` support with sanitization.
src/openclaw/client.ts	Uses configurable model; adds debug logging inside `request()` and logs gateway error bodies.
src/openclaw/registry.ts	Passes the configured model through to all `OpenClawClient` instances.
src/index.ts	Wires CLI debug/model into logger + registry and logs selected startup settings.
src/config/constants.ts	Introduces `DEFAULT_MODEL` constant.
src/cli.ts	Adds `--model/-m` and `--debug` CLI flags, plus env var defaults.
src/tests/utils/logger.test.ts	Adds coverage for debug toggling and sanitization in debug logs.
src/tests/openclaw/client.test.ts	Updates expected default model and tests custom model usage.
docs/logging.md	Documents debug behavior and what is/isn’t logged at different levels.
docs/installation.md	Updates CLI help snippet to include `--model` and `--debug`.
docs/deployment.md	Adds compatibility table and troubleshooting guidance for 400s/model selection.
docs/configuration.md	Documents `OPENCLAW_MODEL` env var.
docker-compose.yml	Adds `OPENCLAW_MODEL` and `DEBUG` to environment section.
README.md	Adds `OPENCLAW_MODEL` to example configurations.
.env.example	Documents `OPENCLAW_MODEL` and clarifies debug behavior.

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Copilot · 2026-03-29T20:46:08Z

docs/deployment.md


+### `400 Bad Request` from gateway on `openclaw_chat`
+
+Gateway versions 2026.3.24+ require `model: "openclaw"` (or `"openclaw/<agentId>"`). The MCP bridge defaults to `"openclaw"` since v1.3.1. If you're using an older bridge version, upgrade or set `OPENCLAW_MODEL=openclaw`. If you need custom model routing, set `OPENCLAW_MODEL` to the value your gateway expects.


Docs inconsistency: this section says the bridge defaults to model: "openclaw" since v1.3.1, but the compatibility table above states the fix is present in ≥ 1.3.0, and package.json currently reports version 1.3.0. Please align the stated version(s) so users know which release contains the change.

Suggested change

Gateway versions 2026.3.24+ require `model: "openclaw"` (or `"openclaw/<agentId>"`). The MCP bridge defaults to `"openclaw"` since v1.3.1. If you're using an older bridge version, upgrade or set `OPENCLAW_MODEL=openclaw`. If you need custom model routing, set `OPENCLAW_MODEL` to the value your gateway expects.

Gateway versions 2026.3.24+ require `model: "openclaw"` (or `"openclaw/<agentId>"`). The MCP bridge defaults to `"openclaw"` since v1.3.0. If you're using an older bridge version, upgrade or set `OPENCLAW_MODEL=openclaw`. If you need custom model routing, set `OPENCLAW_MODEL` to the value your gateway expects.

Copilot · 2026-03-29T20:46:08Z

src/openclaw/client.ts

+    logDebug(`Request: ${options.method ?? 'GET'} ${url}`);
+    if (options.body) {
+      logDebug(`Request body: ${this.truncateForLog(options.body as string)}`);
+    }


In request(), the debug message string is always constructed (including truncateForLog(...)) before calling logDebug, even when debug is disabled. This defeats the purpose of a cheap debug path and can become noticeable for large bodies. Consider adding an isDebugEnabled() (or a lazy logDebug(() => string) API) and guarding the body truncation/formatting behind it.

Copilot · 2026-03-29T20:46:08Z

src/openclaw/client.ts

      if (!response.ok) {
+        const errorBody = await response.text();
+        logDebug(`Response error (${response.status}): ${this.truncateForLog(errorBody)}`);
        throw new OpenClawApiError(
          `API request failed: ${response.status} ${response.statusText}`,
          response.status
        );


request() always reads the full error response body (await response.text()) even when debug logging is disabled, and it does so without applying the existing 10MB size guard (Content-Length/body length) used for successful responses. This can add unnecessary latency/memory use on errors and allows very large error bodies to bypass the limit. Consider only reading/logging the body when debug is enabled, and applying the same MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE_BYTES checks before consuming it.

Copilot · 2026-03-29T20:46:09Z

src/utils/logger.ts

+export function logDebug(message: string): void {
+  if (debugEnabled) {
+    console.error(`[openclaw-mcp] DEBUG: ${sanitizeLogMessage(message)}`);
+  }


logDebug() currently can't be used in a way that avoids eager computation of log messages at call sites (template interpolation runs before the function sees debugEnabled). To keep debug logging truly low-overhead, consider exposing an isDebugEnabled() getter or changing logDebug to accept a callback so callers can skip expensive string building/truncation when debug is off.

Suggested change

export function logDebug(message: string): void {

if (debugEnabled) {

console.error(`[openclaw-mcp] DEBUG: ${sanitizeLogMessage(message)}`);

}

export function isDebugEnabled(): boolean {

return debugEnabled;

}

export function logDebug(message: string): void;

export function logDebug(messageFactory: () => string): void;

export function logDebug(messageOrFactory: string | (() => string)): void {

if (!debugEnabled) {

return;

}

const message =

typeof messageOrFactory === 'function' ? messageOrFactory() : messageOrFactory;

console.error(`[openclaw-mcp] DEBUG: ${sanitizeLogMessage(message)}`);

Copilot · 2026-03-29T20:46:09Z

src/cli.ts

+    .option('model', {
+      alias: 'm',
+      type: 'string',
+      description: 'Model name for chat completions',
+      default: process.env.OPENCLAW_MODEL || DEFAULT_MODEL,
+    })


The new --model / OPENCLAW_MODEL value is accepted as-is, including empty/whitespace strings (e.g., OPENCLAW_MODEL=), which would produce requests with model: "" and likely lead to hard-to-diagnose 400s. Consider validating model after parsing (non-empty, trimmed) and failing fast with a clear error message.

freema mentioned this pull request Mar 28, 2026

openclaw_chat returns 400 Bad Request with local Ollama/Qwen gateway #21

Open

freema mentioned this pull request Mar 28, 2026

fix: make model name configurable via OPENCLAW_MODEL freema/openclaw-a2a#1

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freema requested a review from Copilot March 29, 2026 20:41

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of freema March 29, 2026 20:42 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Mar 29, 2026

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fix: configurable model name + debug logging (#21)#22

fix: configurable model name + debug logging (#21)#22
freema wants to merge 1 commit intomainfrom
fix/21-hardcoded-model-debug-logging

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		### `400 Bad Request` from gateway on `openclaw_chat`

		Gateway versions 2026.3.24+ require `model: "openclaw"` (or `"openclaw/<agentId>"`). The MCP bridge defaults to `"openclaw"` since v1.3.1. If you're using an older bridge version, upgrade or set `OPENCLAW_MODEL=openclaw`. If you need custom model routing, set `OPENCLAW_MODEL` to the value your gateway expects.

-export function logDebug(message: string): void {
-  if (debugEnabled) {
-    console.error(`[openclaw-mcp] DEBUG: ${sanitizeLogMessage(message)}`);
-  }
+export function isDebugEnabled(): boolean {
+  return debugEnabled;
+}
+export function logDebug(message: string): void;
+export function logDebug(messageFactory: () => string): void;
+export function logDebug(messageOrFactory: string | (() => string)): void {
+  if (!debugEnabled) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const message =
+    typeof messageOrFactory === 'function' ? messageOrFactory() : messageOrFactory;
+  console.error(`[openclaw-mcp] DEBUG: ${sanitizeLogMessage(message)}`);

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freema commented Mar 28, 2026

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