OpenClaw's default configuration sends every request to Claude Opus, the most expensive model, resulting in unnecessarily high API costs. This guide shows you how to implement model routing, configure token budgets, tune compaction settings, and add automation guardrails to significantly reduce your API costs without sacrificing quality.
Why This Is Hard to Do Yourself
These are the common pitfalls that trip people up.
"Opus for everything"
Default OpenClaw sends every request to Claude Opus, the most expensive model, even for simple tasks
No usage visibility
No built-in dashboard shows which skills or conversations are burning tokens
Compaction costs hidden
Long conversations trigger automatic compaction which uses expensive model calls just to summarize context
Runaway automations
A single misconfigured automation loop can burn through $500+ in tokens overnight
Step-by-Step Guide
Audit your current token usage
Identify where tokens are going.
Set up OpenRouter for model routing
Route simple tasks to cheaper models.
Configure token budgets
Set per-conversation and global limits.
Tune compaction settings
Reduce expensive context summarization.
Add automation guardrails
Prevent runaway loops.
Warning: Without guardrails, a single automation error can generate thousands of API calls. Always set limits before enabling any automation.
Set up cost alerts
Get notified before bills spike.
Stop Burning Money on API Calls
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