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openclaw/docs/providers/mistral.md
2026-05-09 11:45:43 +01:00

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---
summary: "Use Mistral models and Voxtral transcription with OpenClaw"
read_when:
- You want to use Mistral models in OpenClaw
- You want Voxtral realtime transcription for Voice Call
- You need Mistral API key onboarding and model refs
title: "Mistral"
---
OpenClaw includes a bundled Mistral plugin that registers four contracts: chat completions, media understanding (Voxtral batch transcription), realtime STT for Voice Call (Voxtral Realtime), and memory embeddings (`mistral-embed`).
| Property | Value |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Provider id | `mistral` |
| Plugin | bundled, `enabledByDefault: true` |
| Auth env var | `MISTRAL_API_KEY` |
| Onboarding flag | `--auth-choice mistral-api-key` |
| Direct CLI flag | `--mistral-api-key <key>` |
| API | OpenAI-compatible (`openai-completions`) |
| Base URL | `https://api.mistral.ai/v1` |
| Default model | `mistral/mistral-large-latest` |
| Embedding model | `mistral-embed` |
| Voxtral batch | `voxtral-mini-latest` (audio transcription) |
| Voxtral realtime | `voxtral-mini-transcribe-realtime-2602` |
## Getting started
<Steps>
<Step title="Get your API key">
Create an API key in the [Mistral Console](https://console.mistral.ai/).
</Step>
<Step title="Run onboarding">
```bash
openclaw onboard --auth-choice mistral-api-key
```
Or pass the key directly:
```bash
openclaw onboard --mistral-api-key "$MISTRAL_API_KEY"
```
</Step>
<Step title="Set a default model">
```json5
{
env: { MISTRAL_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "mistral/mistral-large-latest" } } },
}
```
</Step>
<Step title="Verify the model is available">
```bash
openclaw models list --provider mistral
```
</Step>
</Steps>
## Built-in LLM catalog
[Mistral Medium 3.5](https://docs.mistral.ai/models/model-cards/mistral-medium-3-5-26-04)
is the current blended Medium model in the bundled catalog: 128B dense weights,
text and image input, 256K context, function calling, structured output, coding,
and adjustable reasoning through the Chat Completions API. Use
`mistral/mistral-medium-3-5` when you want Mistral's newer unified
agentic/coding model instead of the default `mistral/mistral-large-latest`.
OpenClaw currently ships this bundled Mistral catalog:
| Model ref | Input | Context | Max output | Notes |
| -------------------------------- | ----------- | ------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `mistral/mistral-large-latest` | text, image | 262,144 | 16,384 | Default model |
| `mistral/mistral-medium-2508` | text, image | 262,144 | 8,192 | Mistral Medium 3.1 |
| `mistral/mistral-medium-3-5` | text, image | 262,144 | 8,192 | Mistral Medium 3.5; adjustable reasoning |
| `mistral/mistral-small-latest` | text, image | 128,000 | 16,384 | Mistral Small 4; adjustable reasoning via API `reasoning_effort` |
| `mistral/pixtral-large-latest` | text, image | 128,000 | 32,768 | Pixtral |
| `mistral/codestral-latest` | text | 256,000 | 4,096 | Coding |
| `mistral/devstral-medium-latest` | text | 262,144 | 32,768 | Devstral 2 |
| `mistral/magistral-small` | text | 128,000 | 40,000 | Reasoning-enabled |
After onboarding, smoke-test Medium 3.5 without starting the Gateway:
```bash
openclaw infer model run --local \
--model mistral/mistral-medium-3-5 \
--prompt "Reply with exactly: mistral-ok" \
--json
```
To browse the bundled catalog row before changing config:
```bash
openclaw models list --all --provider mistral --plain
```
## Audio transcription (Voxtral)
Use Voxtral for batch audio transcription through the media understanding
pipeline.
```json5
{
tools: {
media: {
audio: {
enabled: true,
models: [{ provider: "mistral", model: "voxtral-mini-latest" }],
},
},
},
}
```
<Tip>
The media transcription path uses `/v1/audio/transcriptions`. The default audio model for Mistral is `voxtral-mini-latest`.
</Tip>
## Voice Call streaming STT
The bundled `mistral` plugin registers Voxtral Realtime as a Voice Call
streaming STT provider.
| Setting | Config path | Default |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| API key | `plugins.entries.voice-call.config.streaming.providers.mistral.apiKey` | Falls back to `MISTRAL_API_KEY` |
| Model | `...mistral.model` | `voxtral-mini-transcribe-realtime-2602` |
| Encoding | `...mistral.encoding` | `pcm_mulaw` |
| Sample rate | `...mistral.sampleRate` | `8000` |
| Target delay | `...mistral.targetStreamingDelayMs` | `800` |
```json5
{
plugins: {
entries: {
"voice-call": {
config: {
streaming: {
enabled: true,
provider: "mistral",
providers: {
mistral: {
apiKey: "${MISTRAL_API_KEY}",
targetStreamingDelayMs: 800,
},
},
},
},
},
},
},
}
```
<Note>
OpenClaw defaults Mistral realtime STT to `pcm_mulaw` at 8 kHz so Voice Call
can forward Twilio media frames directly. Use `encoding: "pcm_s16le"` and a
matching `sampleRate` only if your upstream stream is already raw PCM.
</Note>
## Advanced configuration
<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Adjustable reasoning">
`mistral/mistral-small-latest` (Mistral Small 4) and `mistral/mistral-medium-3-5` support [adjustable reasoning](https://docs.mistral.ai/studio-api/conversations/reasoning/adjustable) on the Chat Completions API via `reasoning_effort` (`none` minimizes extra thinking in the output; `high` surfaces full thinking traces before the final answer). Mistral recommends `reasoning_effort="high"` for Medium 3.5 agentic and code use cases.
OpenClaw maps the session **thinking** level to Mistral's API:
| OpenClaw thinking level | Mistral `reasoning_effort` |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------- |
| **off** / **minimal** | `none` |
| **low** / **medium** / **high** / **xhigh** / **adaptive** / **max** | `high` |
<Warning>
Do not combine Medium 3.5 reasoning mode with `temperature: 0`. The Mistral
HTTP API rejects `reasoning_effort="high"` plus `temperature: 0` with a 400
response. Leave temperature unset so Mistral uses its default, or follow
the [Medium 3.5 recommended settings](https://huggingface.co/mistralai/Mistral-Medium-3.5-128B)
and use `temperature: 0.7` for high reasoning. For deterministic direct
answers, turn thinking off/minimal so OpenClaw sends
`reasoning_effort: "none"` before you lower temperature.
</Warning>
Example model-scoped config for Medium 3.5 reasoning:
```json5
{
agents: {
defaults: {
model: { primary: "mistral/mistral-medium-3-5" },
models: {
"mistral/mistral-medium-3-5": {
params: { thinking: "high" },
},
},
},
},
}
```
<Note>
Other bundled Mistral catalog models do not use this parameter. Keep using `magistral-*` models when you want Mistral's native reasoning-first behavior.
</Note>
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Memory embeddings">
Mistral can serve memory embeddings via `/v1/embeddings` (default model: `mistral-embed`).
```json5
{
memorySearch: { provider: "mistral" },
}
```
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Auth and base URL">
- Mistral auth uses `MISTRAL_API_KEY` (Bearer header).
- Provider base URL defaults to `https://api.mistral.ai/v1` and accepts the standard OpenAI-compatible chat-completions request shape.
- Onboarding default model is `mistral/mistral-large-latest`.
- Override the base URL under `models.providers.mistral.baseUrl` only when Mistral explicitly publishes a regional endpoint you need.
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
## Related
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Model selection" href="/concepts/model-providers" icon="layers">
Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.
</Card>
<Card title="Media understanding" href="/nodes/media-understanding" icon="microphone">
Audio transcription setup and provider selection.
</Card>
</CardGroup>