Configuration

NullClaw reads config from ~/.nullclaw/config.json (src/config.zig, src/config_parse.zig).

Minimal Config That Runs

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "openrouter": { "api_key": "YOUR_KEY" }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": { "primary": "openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4" }
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "cli": true
  },
  "gateway": {
    "host": "127.0.0.1",
    "port": 3000,
    "require_pairing": true
  }
}

Add Chat UI Support (`channels.web`)

{
  "channels": {
    "web": {
      "accounts": {
        "default": {
          "listen": "127.0.0.1",
          "port": 32123,
          "path": "/ws",
          "message_auth_mode": "pairing"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Without this, Chat UI cannot pair.

Key Sections

• models.providers: credentials and endpoint settings
• agents.defaults.model.primary: default provider/model route
• channels: channel accounts and channel policy
• memory: backend and memory behavior
• autonomy: tool/path/command restrictions
• security: sandbox and audit settings
• gateway: bind, pairing, and public bind behavior

Verify Effective Config

nullclaw doctor
nullclaw status
nullclaw capabilities --json

Build Flags vs Config

Config may declare features missing from your binary.

Typical mismatch:

• configured channel removed via -Dchannels=...
• configured memory backend removed via -Dengines=...

Use capabilities as source of truth.