Groq

Groq setup (auth + model selection + Whisper transcription)

Groq provides ultra-fast inference on open-weight models (Llama, Gemma, Kimi, Qwen, GPT OSS, and more) using custom LPU hardware. OpenClaw includes a bundled Groq plugin that registers both an OpenAI-compatible chat provider and an audio media-understanding provider.

PropertyValue
Provider idgroq
Pluginbundled, enabledByDefault: true
Auth env varGROQ_API_KEY
Onboarding flag--auth-choice groq-api-key
APIOpenAI-compatible (openai-completions)
Base URLhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
Audio transcriptionwhisper-large-v3-turbo (default)
Suggested chat defaultgroq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile

Getting started

Create an API key at [console.groq.com/keys](https://console.groq.com/keys). 
openclaw onboard --auth-choice groq-api-key

export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...

</CodeGroup>
```json5 { agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile" }, }, }, } ``` ```bash openclaw models list --provider groq ```

Config file example

{
  env: { GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk_..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile" },
    },
  },
}

Built-in catalog

OpenClaw ships a manifest-backed Groq catalog with both reasoning and non-reasoning entries. Run openclaw models list --provider groq to see the bundled rows for your installed version, or check console.groq.com/docs/models for Groq's authoritative list.

Model refNameReasoningInputContext
groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatileLlama 3.3 70B Versatilenotext131,072
groq/llama-3.1-8b-instantLlama 3.1 8B Instantnotext131,072
groq/meta-llama/llama-4-maverick-17b-128e-instructLlama 4 Maverick 17Bnotext + image131,072
groq/meta-llama/llama-4-scout-17b-16e-instructLlama 4 Scout 17Bnotext + image131,072
groq/llama3-70b-8192Llama 3 70Bnotext8,192
groq/llama3-8b-8192Llama 3 8Bnotext8,192
groq/gemma2-9b-itGemma 2 9Bnotext8,192
groq/mistral-saba-24bMistral Saba 24Bnotext32,768
groq/moonshotai/kimi-k2-instructKimi K2 Instructnotext131,072
groq/moonshotai/kimi-k2-instruct-0905Kimi K2 Instruct 0905notext262,144
groq/openai/gpt-oss-120bGPT OSS 120Byestext131,072
groq/openai/gpt-oss-20bGPT OSS 20Byestext131,072
groq/openai/gpt-oss-safeguard-20bSafety GPT OSS 20Byestext131,072
groq/qwen-qwq-32bQwen QwQ 32Byestext131,072
groq/qwen/qwen3-32bQwen3 32Byestext131,072
groq/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70bDeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70Byestext131,072
groq/groq/compoundCompoundyestext131,072
groq/groq/compound-miniCompound Miniyestext131,072
The catalog evolves with each OpenClaw release. `openclaw models list --provider groq` shows the rows known to your installed version; cross-check with [console.groq.com/docs/models](https://console.groq.com/docs/models) for newly-added or deprecated models.

Reasoning models

OpenClaw maps its shared /think levels to Groq's model-specific reasoning_effort values:

  • For qwen/qwen3-32b, disabled thinking sends none and enabled thinking sends default.
  • For Groq GPT OSS reasoning models (openai/gpt-oss-*), OpenClaw sends low, medium, or high based on /think level. Disabled thinking omits reasoning_effort because those models do not support a disabled value.
  • DeepSeek R1 Distill, Qwen QwQ, and Compound use Groq's native reasoning surface; /think controls visibility but the model always reasons.

See [Thinking modes](/docs/openclaw-docs/tools/thinking for the shared /think levels and how OpenClaw translates them per provider.

Audio transcription

Groq's bundled plugin also registers an audio media-understanding provider so voice messages can be transcribed through the shared tools.media.audio surface.

PropertyValue
Shared config pathtools.media.audio
Default base URLhttps://api.groq.com/openai/v1
Default modelwhisper-large-v3-turbo
Auto priority20
API endpointOpenAI-compatible /audio/transcriptions

To make Groq the default audio backend:

{
  tools: {
    media: {
      audio: {
        models: [{ provider: "groq" }],
      },
    },
  },
}
If the Gateway runs as a managed service (launchd, systemd, Docker), `GROQ_API_KEY` must be visible to that process — not just to your interactive shell. 
<Warning>
  A key sitting only in `~/.profile` will not help a launchd or systemd daemon unless that environment is imported there too. Set the key in `~/.openclaw/.env` or via `env.shellEnv` to make it readable from the gateway process.
</Warning>
OpenClaw accepts any Groq model id at runtime. Use the exact id shown by Groq and prefix it with `groq/`. The bundled catalog covers the common cases; uncatalogued ids fall through to the default OpenAI-compatible template. 
```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "groq/<your-model-id>" },
    },
  },
}
```
Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior. Reasoning effort levels and provider-policy interaction. Full config schema including provider and audio settings. Groq dashboard, API docs, and pricing.