openclaw/docs/providers/venice.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Use Venice AI privacy-focused models in OpenClaw	You want privacy-focused inference in OpenClaw You want Venice AI setup guidance	Venice AI

Venice AI provides privacy-focused inference: open models run with no logging, plus anonymized proxy access to Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Grok. All endpoints are OpenAI-compatible (/v1).

Privacy modes

Mode	Behavior	Models
Private	Prompts/responses are never stored or logged. Ephemeral.	Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, Kimi, MiniMax, Venice Uncensored, etc.
Anonymized	Proxied through Venice with metadata stripped before forwarding.	Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok

Anonymized models are not fully private. Venice strips metadata before forwarding, but the underlying provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI) still processes the request. Use Private models when full privacy is required.

Getting started

```bash openclaw plugins install @openclaw/venice-provider ``` 1. Sign up at [venice.ai](https://venice.ai) 2. Go to **Settings > API Keys > Create new key** 3. Copy your API key (format: `vapi_xxxxxxxxxxxx`) ```bash openclaw onboard --auth-choice venice-api-key ```

    Prompts for the API key (or reuses an existing `VENICE_API_KEY`), lists available Venice models, and sets your default model.
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Environment variable">
    ```bash
    export VENICE_API_KEY="vapi_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Non-interactive">
    ```bash
    openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
      --auth-choice venice-api-key \
      --venice-api-key "vapi_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

```bash openclaw agent --model venice/kimi-k2-5 --message "Hello, are you working?" ```

Model selection

• Default: venice/kimi-k2-5 (private, reasoning, vision).
• Strongest anonymized option: venice/claude-opus-4-6.

openclaw models set venice/kimi-k2-5
openclaw models list --all --provider venice

You can also run openclaw configure and pick Model/auth provider > Venice AI.

| Use case | Model | Why | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | General chat (default) | `kimi-k2-5` | Strong private reasoning plus vision | | Best overall quality | `claude-opus-4-6` | Strongest anonymized Venice option | | Privacy + coding | `qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct` | Private coding model with large context | | Fast + cheap | `qwen3-4b` | Lightweight reasoning model | | Complex private tasks | `deepseek-v3.2` | Strong reasoning; tool calling disabled | | Uncensored | `venice-uncensored` | No content restrictions |

Built-in catalog (38 models)

| Model ID | Name | Context | Notes | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------- | --------------------------- | | `kimi-k2-5` | Kimi K2.5 | 256k | Default, reasoning, vision | | `kimi-k2-thinking` | Kimi K2 Thinking | 256k | Reasoning | | `llama-3.3-70b` | Llama 3.3 70B | 128k | General | | `llama-3.2-3b` | Llama 3.2 3B | 128k | General | | `hermes-3-llama-3.1-405b` | Hermes 3 Llama 3.1 405B | 128k | General, tools disabled | | `qwen3-235b-a22b-thinking-2507` | Qwen3 235B Thinking | 128k | Reasoning | | `qwen3-235b-a22b-instruct-2507` | Qwen3 235B Instruct | 128k | General | | `qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct` | Qwen3 Coder 480B | 256k | Coding | | `qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct-turbo` | Qwen3 Coder 480B Turbo | 256k | Coding | | `qwen3-5-35b-a3b` | Qwen3.5 35B A3B | 256k | Reasoning, vision | | `qwen3-next-80b` | Qwen3 Next 80B | 256k | General | | `qwen3-vl-235b-a22b` | Qwen3 VL 235B (Vision) | 256k | Vision | | `qwen3-4b` | Venice Small (Qwen3 4B) | 32k | Fast, reasoning | | `deepseek-v3.2` | DeepSeek V3.2 | 160k | Reasoning, tools disabled | | `venice-uncensored` | Venice Uncensored (Dolphin-Mistral) | 32k | Uncensored, tools disabled | | `mistral-31-24b` | Venice Medium (Mistral) | 128k | Vision | | `google-gemma-3-27b-it` | Google Gemma 3 27B Instruct | 198k | Vision | | `openai-gpt-oss-120b` | OpenAI GPT OSS 120B | 128k | General | | `nvidia-nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b` | NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Nano 30B | 128k | General | | `olafangensan-glm-4.7-flash-heretic` | GLM 4.7 Flash Heretic | 128k | Reasoning | | `zai-org-glm-4.6` | GLM 4.6 | 198k | General | | `zai-org-glm-4.7` | GLM 4.7 | 198k | Reasoning | | `zai-org-glm-4.7-flash` | GLM 4.7 Flash | 128k | Reasoning | | `zai-org-glm-5` | GLM 5 | 198k | Reasoning | | `minimax-m21` | MiniMax M2.1 | 198k | Reasoning | | `minimax-m25` | MiniMax M2.5 | 198k | Reasoning | | Model ID | Name | Context | Notes | | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ------- | ---------------------------- | | `claude-opus-4-6` | Claude Opus 4.6 (via Venice) | 1M | Reasoning, vision | | `claude-sonnet-4-6` | Claude Sonnet 4.6 (via Venice) | 1M | Reasoning, vision | | `openai-gpt-54` | GPT-5.4 (via Venice) | 1M | Reasoning, vision | | `openai-gpt-53-codex` | GPT-5.3 Codex (via Venice) | 400k | Reasoning, vision, coding | | `openai-gpt-52` | GPT-5.2 (via Venice) | 256k | Reasoning | | `openai-gpt-52-codex` | GPT-5.2 Codex (via Venice) | 256k | Reasoning, vision, coding | | `openai-gpt-4o-2024-11-20` | GPT-4o (via Venice) | 128k | Vision | | `openai-gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18` | GPT-4o Mini (via Venice) | 128k | Vision | | `gemini-3-1-pro-preview` | Gemini 3.1 Pro (via Venice) | 1M | Reasoning, vision | | `gemini-3-pro-preview` | Gemini 3 Pro (via Venice) | 198k | Reasoning, vision | | `gemini-3-flash-preview` | Gemini 3 Flash (via Venice) | 256k | Reasoning, vision | | `grok-41-fast` | Grok 4.1 Fast (via Venice) | 1M | Reasoning, vision |

Grok-backed Venice models (grok-41-fast and similar) get the same tool-schema compat patch as the native xAI provider, since they share the same upstream tool-call format.

Model discovery

The bundled catalog above is a manifest-backed seed list. At runtime OpenClaw refreshes it from the Venice /models API and falls back to the seed list if the API is unreachable. The /models endpoint is public (no auth needed for listing), but inference requires a valid API key.

DeepSeek V4 replay behavior

If Venice exposes DeepSeek V4 models such as deepseek-v4-pro or deepseek-v4-flash, OpenClaw fills the required reasoning_content replay field on assistant messages when Venice omits it, and strips thinking/ reasoning/reasoning_effort from the request payload (Venice rejects DeepSeek's native thinking control on these models). This replay fix is separate from the native DeepSeek provider's own thinking controls.

Streaming and tool support

Feature	Support
Streaming	All models
Function calling	Most models; disabled per-model where noted above
Vision/Images	Models marked "Vision" above
JSON mode	Via response_format

Pricing

Venice uses a credit-based system. Anonymized models cost roughly the same as direct API pricing plus a small Venice fee. See venice.ai/pricing for current rates.

Usage examples

# Default private model
openclaw agent --model venice/kimi-k2-5 --message "Quick health check"

# Claude Opus via Venice (anonymized)
openclaw agent --model venice/claude-opus-4-6 --message "Summarize this task"

# Uncensored model
openclaw agent --model venice/venice-uncensored --message "Draft options"

# Vision model with image
openclaw agent --model venice/qwen3-vl-235b-a22b --message "Review attached image"

# Coding model
openclaw agent --model venice/qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct --message "Refactor this function"

Troubleshooting

```bash echo $VENICE_API_KEY openclaw models list | grep venice ```

Confirm the key starts with `vapi_`.

Run `openclaw models list --all --provider venice` to see currently available models; the catalog changes as Venice adds or retires models. Venice API is at `https://api.venice.ai/api/v1`. Confirm your network allows HTTPS to that host. More help: [Troubleshooting](/help/troubleshooting) and [FAQ](/help/faq).

Advanced configuration

```json5 { env: { VENICE_API_KEY: "vapi_..." }, agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "venice/kimi-k2-5" } } }, models: { mode: "merge", providers: { venice: { baseUrl: "https://api.venice.ai/api/v1", apiKey: "${VENICE_API_KEY}", api: "openai-completions", models: [ { id: "kimi-k2-5", name: "Kimi K2.5", reasoning: true, input: ["text", "image"], cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 }, contextWindow: 256000, maxTokens: 65536, }, ], }, }, }, } ```

Related

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior. Venice AI homepage and account signup. Venice API reference and developer docs. Current Venice credit rates and plans.