openclaw-openclaw/docs/concepts/experimental-features.md

summary, title, read_when

summary	title	read_when
What experimental flags mean in OpenClaw and which ones are currently documented	Experimental features	You see an `.experimental` config key and want to know whether it is stable You want to try preview runtime features without confusing them with normal defaults You want one place to find the currently documented experimental flags

Experimental features are opt-in preview surfaces behind explicit flags. They need more real-world mileage before they get a stable default or a long-lived contract.

• Off by default unless a doc tells you to enable one.
• Shape and behavior can change faster than stable config.
• Prefer a stable path when one already exists.
• Roll out broadly only after testing in a smaller environment first.

Currently documented flags

Surface	Key	Use it when	More
Local model runtime	agents.defaults.experimental.localModelLean, agents.list[].experimental.localModelLean	A smaller or stricter local backend chokes on OpenClaw's full default tool surface	Local Models
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
Codex harness	plugins.entries.codex.config.appServer.experimental.sandboxExecServer	You want native Codex app-server 0.132.0 or newer to target an OpenClaw sandbox-backed exec-server instead of disabling Code Mode	Codex harness reference
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

Local model lean mode

agents.defaults.experimental.localModelLean: true drops heavyweight optional tools from the agent's direct surface every turn: browser, cron, message, image_generate, music_generate, video_generate, tts, and pdf. Explicitly allowed or delivery-required tools remain available, though Tool Search may catalog them instead of exposing them directly. Lean mode also defaults plugin/MCP/client catalogs to structured Tool Search (tool_search, tool_describe, tool_call) when tools.toolSearch is not already set. Use agents.list[].experimental.localModelLean to scope this to one agent.

If you already tune Tool Search globally, OpenClaw leaves that config alone. Set tools.toolSearch: false to opt out of the lean-mode Tool Search default.

In structured tools mode, lean runs keep exec directly visible beside the Tool Search controls so coding-tuned local models can still choose their familiar shell path. This changes schema visibility only: normal tool policy, sandboxing, and exec approvals still apply. Explicit code and directory modes keep their normal compaction behavior.

Why these tools

These tools have the largest descriptions, broadest parameter shapes, or highest chance of distracting a small model from the normal coding and conversation path. On a small-context or stricter OpenAI-compatible backend that is the difference between:

• Tool schemas fitting the prompt vs. crowding out conversation history.
• The model picking the right tool vs. emitting malformed tool calls from too many similar schemas.
• The Chat Completions adapter staying inside structured-output limits vs. a 400 on tool-call payload size.

Removing them only shortens the direct tool list. The model still has read, write, edit, exec, apply_patch, image understanding, web search/fetch (when configured), memory, and session/agent tools. Extra catalogs stay reachable through Tool Search unless you set tools.toolSearch: false; explicit tool allows can opt a lean agent back into a trimmed workflow.

When to turn it on

Enable lean mode once you have proved the model can talk to the Gateway but full agent turns misbehave:

1. openclaw infer model run --gateway --model <ref> --prompt "Reply with exactly: pong" succeeds.
2. A normal agent turn fails with malformed tool calls, oversized prompts, or the model ignoring its tools.
3. Toggling localModelLean: true clears the failure.

When to leave it off

If your backend handles the full default runtime cleanly, leave this off. It is a workaround for local stacks that need a smaller tool surface, not a default for hosted models or well-resourced local rigs.

Lean mode does not replace tools.profile, tools.allow/tools.deny, or the model compat.supportsTools: false escape hatch. For a permanent narrower tool surface on a specific agent, prefer those stable knobs.

Enable

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      experimental: {
        localModelLean: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

For one agent only:

{
  agents: {
    list: [
      {
        id: "local",
        model: "lmstudio/gemma-4-e4b-it",
        experimental: {
          localModelLean: true,
        },
      },
    ],
  },
}

Restart the Gateway after changing the flag. Lean filtering removes browser, cron, message, image_generate, music_generate, video_generate, tts, and pdf unless you explicitly preserve them with tools.allow or tools.alsoAllow; Tool Search may still catalog preserved tools instead of exposing them directly.

Experimental does not mean hidden

An experimental feature should say so plainly in docs and in the config path itself, not hide behind a stable-looking default knob.

Related

• Features
• Release channels