Can I use my ChatGPT Plus subscription with OpenClaw?

Yes. OpenClaw supports the openai-codex provider which routes requests through your ChatGPT Plus subscription via OAuth. You get GPT-5.4 access at no extra API cost.

Do I need an API key to use OpenClaw?

No. OpenClaw Launch includes AI credits and free models. You can also bring your own ChatGPT subscription or API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or any OpenAI-compatible provider.

How much does it cost to run OpenClaw with ChatGPT Plus?

ChatGPT Plus costs $20/mo and OpenClaw Launch Lite costs $3/mo, totaling $23/mo for GPT-5.4 access with no per-token API charges.

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Guide

Use Your ChatGPT Plus Subscription with OpenClaw

Already paying $20/mo for ChatGPT Plus? Connect it to your OpenClaw instance and use GPT-5.4 at zero extra API cost. No separate API key needed.

How It Works

OpenClaw supports the openai-codex provider, which routes requests through your ChatGPT subscription instead of the pay-per-token OpenAI API. You sign in with your OpenAI account via OAuth, and OpenClaw uses your subscription's included quota — no API billing.

Cost breakdown: ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) + OpenClaw Launch Lite ($3/mo) = GPT-5.4 for $23/mo total. No per-token API charges.

What You Need

An active ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo) or ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo) subscription
A deployed OpenClaw instance on OpenClaw Launch

Step 1: Open the Terminal

Go to your Dashboard and find your instance.
Click the Terminal button to open the web terminal.

Step 2: Run the Login Command

In the terminal, run:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai-codex

You'll see a URL. Open it in your local browser (on your computer, not inside the terminal).

Step 3: Sign In with Your OpenAI Account

The URL opens an OpenAI login page. Sign in with the account that has your ChatGPT Plus subscription.
After signing in, your browser will redirect to a localhost URL and show a "This site can't be reached" error. This is normal — the terminal is running on a remote server, not your computer.
Copy the full URL from your browser's address bar (it starts with http://localhost:1455/auth/callback?code=...).
Paste it back into the terminal where it says "Paste the authorization code (or full redirect URL)".

Step 4: Set GPT-5.4 as Your Default Model

Run this command to switch your agent to GPT-5.4:

openclaw models set openai-codex/gpt-5.4

That's it. Your OpenClaw agent now uses GPT-5.4 through your ChatGPT subscription.

Step 5: Verify It Works

Send a message to your bot on Telegram, Discord, or whichever platform you connected. The response should come from GPT-5.4. You can also check the active model with:

openclaw models status

Available Models

Model ID	Model	Best For
`openai-codex/gpt-5.4`	GPT-5.4	Most capable, all-purpose
`openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex`	GPT-5.3 Codex	Code generation, debugging

Important Notes

Weekly quota limits: ChatGPT Plus has a weekly usage cap for Codex access. Heavy usage may hit limits before the week resets.
Token refresh: OpenAI uses rotating refresh tokens. Occasionally you may need to re-run the login command if the session expires.
For production workloads: If you need guaranteed uptime and no quota limits, consider using an OpenAI API key instead.

Other Ways to Bring Your Own Key

Don't have ChatGPT Plus? You can still bring your own API key from any provider:

OpenAI API — Pay-per-token, no subscription needed
Anthropic Claude — Claude Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6
Google Gemini — Gemini 3.1 Pro, Flash
OpenRouter — Access 200+ models with one key

Or skip API keys entirely — OpenClaw Launch includes AI credits and free models out of the box.

Troubleshooting

"This site can't be reached" after signing in

This is expected. Your browser redirects to localhost, but the terminal runs on a remote server. Simply copy the full URL from your browser's address bar and paste it into the terminal — it will extract the authorization code automatically.

Token refresh errors

If you see refresh_token_reused errors, re-run the login command:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai-codex

Quota exceeded

ChatGPT Plus has weekly limits. If you hit the cap, your bot will return errors until the quota resets. Upgrade to ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo) for higher limits, or switch to an API key for unlimited usage.