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Ollama Cloud is Ollama’s hosted model API. The ollama-cloud provider calls it directly at https://ollama.com over Ollama’s native /api/chat API, with no local Ollama server and no local Ollama app signed into cloud mode. Use model refs like ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.6. OpenClaw registers ollama-cloud as its own provider id so cloud-only credentials, live catalog discovery, and model selection do not get mixed with a local ollama host. For local Ollama, hybrid cloud-plus-local routing, embeddings, and custom host details, see Ollama.

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Setup

Create an Ollama Cloud API key at ollama.com/settings/keys, then run:
Or set:
Non-interactive onboarding accepts the key directly:
Onboarding sets the default model to ollama-cloud/minimax-m2.7.

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Defaults

  • Provider: ollama-cloud
  • Base URL: https://ollama.com
  • Env var: OLLAMA_API_KEY
  • API style: Ollama native /api/chat
  • Onboarding default model: ollama-cloud/minimax-m2.7

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When to choose Ollama Cloud

  • You want hosted Ollama models without running ollama serve locally.
  • You want the same native Ollama chat API shape OpenClaw uses for local Ollama, but pointed at https://ollama.com.
  • You want a simple cloud path for models that are already in Ollama’s hosted catalog.
  • You do not need local model pulls, local GPU control, or LAN-only inference.
Use Ollama instead when you want local-only or cloud-plus-local routing through a signed-in Ollama host. Use an OpenAI-compatible provider instead when you need /v1/chat/completions semantics or provider-specific OpenAI-style features.

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Models

The provider requires an API key; without one it stays inactive. With a key, OpenClaw discovers Ollama Cloud models live from the hosted catalog:
Hosted ids in the live catalog include deepseek-v4-flash, glm-5.2, gpt-oss:20b, kimi-k2.6, and minimax-m2.7. When live discovery returns nothing, OpenClaw falls back to the bundled rows minimax-m2.7, glm-5.1, and glm-5.2. The retiring kimi-k2.5 model is hidden from model pickers but remains selectable by exact reference until Ollama retires it on July 31, 2026. Model ids are cloud catalog ids, not local pull names. If a model name works in a local Ollama host but is absent from the hosted catalog, use the ollama provider with that local host instead.

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Live test

For Ollama Cloud API-key smoke tests, point the Ollama live test at the hosted endpoint and choose a model from your current catalog:
The cloud smoke runs text, native stream, and web search; set OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA_WEB_SEARCH=0 to skip web search. It skips embeddings by default for https://ollama.com because Ollama Cloud API keys may not authorize /api/embed; force them with OPENCLAW_LIVE_OLLAMA_EMBEDDINGS=1.

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Troubleshooting

  • Ollama Cloud requires an API key / Set OLLAMA_API_KEY errors: provide a real cloud API key. The local ollama-local marker is only for local or private Ollama hosts.
  • Unknown model errors: run openclaw models list --provider ollama-cloud and copy the hosted model id exactly.
  • Tool-call or raw JSON issues on custom Ollama hosts: check whether you are accidentally using an OpenAI-compatible /v1 URL. Ollama routes should use the native base URL with no /v1 suffix.