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48 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
48 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Experimental Features"
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summary: "What experimental flags mean in OpenClaw and which ones are currently documented"
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read_when:
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- You see an `.experimental` config key and want to know whether it is stable
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- You want to try preview runtime features without confusing them with normal defaults
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- You want one place to find the currently documented experimental flags
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---
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# Experimental features
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Experimental features in OpenClaw are **opt-in preview surfaces**. They are
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behind explicit flags because they still need real-world mileage before they
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deserve a stable default or a long-lived public contract.
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Treat them differently from normal config:
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- Keep them **off by default** unless the related doc tells you to try one.
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- Expect **shape and behavior to change** faster than stable config.
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- Prefer the stable path first when one already exists.
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- If you are rolling OpenClaw out broadly, test experimental flags in a smaller
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environment before baking them into a shared baseline.
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## Currently documented flags
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| Surface | Key | Use it when | More |
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| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Local model runtime | `agents.defaults.experimental.localModelLean` | A smaller or stricter local backend chokes on OpenClaw's full default tool surface | [Local Models](/gateway/local-models) |
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| Memory search | `agents.defaults.memorySearch.experimental.sessionMemory` | You want `memory_search` to index prior session transcripts and accept the extra storage/indexing cost | [Memory configuration reference](/reference/memory-config#session-memory-search-experimental) |
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| Structured planning tool | `tools.experimental.planTool` | You want the structured `update_plan` tool exposed for multi-step work tracking in compatible runtimes and UIs | [Gateway configuration reference](/gateway/configuration-reference#toolsexperimental) |
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## Local model lean mode
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`agents.defaults.experimental.localModelLean: true` is a pressure-release valve
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for weaker local-model setups. It trims heavyweight default tools like
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`browser`, `cron`, and `message` so the prompt shape is smaller and less brittle
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for small-context or stricter OpenAI-compatible backends.
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That is intentionally **not** the normal path. If your backend handles the full
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runtime cleanly, leave this off.
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## Experimental does not mean hidden
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If a feature is experimental, OpenClaw should say so plainly in docs and in the
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config path itself. What it should **not** do is smuggle preview behavior into a
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stable-looking default knob and pretend that is normal. That's how config
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surfaces get messy.
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