openclaw-openclaw/docs/tools/llm-task.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
JSON-only LLM tasks for workflows (optional plugin tool)	You want a JSON-only LLM step inside workflows You need schema-validated LLM output for automation	LLM task

llm-task is a bundled optional plugin tool that runs a single JSON-only LLM call and returns structured output, optionally validated against a JSON Schema. It gives workflow engines like Lobster an LLM step without custom OpenClaw code per workflow.

Enable

1. Enable the plugin:

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "llm-task": { "enabled": true }
    }
  }
}

2. Allow the tool:

{
  "tools": {
    "alsoAllow": ["llm-task"]
  }
}

alsoAllow adds llm-task on top of the active tool profile without restricting other core tools. Use tools.allow only if you want a restrictive allowlist mode instead.

Config (optional)

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "llm-task": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "defaultProvider": "openai",
          "defaultModel": "gpt-5.5",
          "defaultAuthProfileId": "main",
          "allowedModels": ["openai/gpt-5.5"],
          "maxTokens": 800,
          "timeoutMs": 30000
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

allowedModels is an allowlist of provider/model strings; a request for any other model is rejected. All other keys are per-call fallbacks used when the tool call omits that parameter.

Tool parameters

Parameter	Type	Notes
prompt	string	Required. Task instruction for the LLM.
input	any	Optional payload; serialized to JSON and appended to the prompt.
schema	object	Optional JSON Schema the parsed output must validate against.
provider	string	Overrides defaultProvider / the agent's default provider.
model	string	Overrides defaultModel; accepts bare model ids, aliases, or a provider/model ref (a duplicate provider prefix is stripped automatically).
thinking	string	Reasoning level (e.g. low, medium); must be one supported by the resolved model.
authProfileId	string	Overrides defaultAuthProfileId.
temperature	number	Best-effort; not all providers honor it.
maxTokens	number	Best-effort cap on output tokens.
timeoutMs	number	Run timeout; default 30000.

Output

Returns details.json (the parsed, schema-validated JSON) plus details.provider and details.model naming what actually ran.

Example: Lobster workflow step

Important limitation

The example below assumes the standalone Lobster CLI is running where openclaw.invoke already has the correct gateway URL/auth context.

For the bundled embedded Lobster runner inside OpenClaw, this nested CLI pattern is not currently reliable:

openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{ ... }'

Until embedded Lobster has a supported bridge for this flow, prefer either:

• direct llm-task tool calls outside Lobster, or
• Lobster steps that do not rely on nested openclaw.invoke calls.

Standalone Lobster CLI example:

openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{
  "prompt": "Given the input email, return intent and draft.",
  "thinking": "low",
  "input": {
    "subject": "Hello",
    "body": "Can you help?"
  },
  "schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "intent": { "type": "string" },
      "draft": { "type": "string" }
    },
    "required": ["intent", "draft"],
    "additionalProperties": false
  }
}'

Safety notes

• JSON-only: the model is instructed to return only a JSON value, no code fences, no commentary.
• No tools: the underlying run has tools disabled, so the model cannot call out mid-task.
• Treat output as untrusted unless you validate it with schema.
• Put approvals before any side-effecting step (send, post, exec) that consumes this output.

Related

• Thinking levels
• Sub-agents
• Slash commands