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Keep OpenClaw provider credentials out of agent workspaces, store them only in trusted runtime locations or OpenClaw SecretRefs, and restrict every key to the destinations and permissions it actually needs. A workspace .env file is not a safe credential store: OpenClaw deliberately ignores provider credential variables and endpoint-routing controls found there.
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The strongest setup combines trusted environment injection or SecretRefs, a locked-down ~/.openclaw state directory, destination-bound egress, deployment-native secrets for Kubernetes, and short-lived, least-privilege credentials. The result is that an agent can make an authorized API call without being handed a reusable plaintext key.
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What you are protecting
An OpenClaw installation has several places where a credential can leak: the agent workspace, Gateway configuration, process environment, logs, session transcripts, shell history, Kubernetes manifests, and outbound network traffic. A prompt-injected agent does not need to read openclaw.json directly if it can persuade a tool to print an environment variable, read a file, or send data to an attacker-controlled endpoint.
Use a layered model:
- Storage: keep the secret in a user-only state directory, a trusted service environment, or the shared Secret Store.
- Exposure: do not place reusable plaintext in prompts, command arguments, workspace files, or tool output.
- Authorization: bind use to exact HTTPS destinations and minimum provider scopes.
- Operations: rotate, revoke, audit, and replace credentials without editing every agent workspace.
Filesystem access is the practical trust boundary. Anyone who can read the OpenClaw state directory, logs, or session database may be able to recover sensitive material even when the configuration itself looks clean.
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Where OpenClaw should get provider credentials
Gateway process environment
The Gateway process can receive provider credentials through its service environment. This is appropriate when OpenClaw runs under a service manager, container runtime, or another controlled launcher. Keep the variable definition in the service configuration rather than in a repository or agent-editable directory, and restrict who can inspect or change that service definition.
The trusted global dotenv file
OpenClaw supports a global dotenv file at ~/.openclaw/.env, or at $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/.env when you use a custom state root. This file is outside individual workspaces and is intended for trusted administration. Set its ownership and mode so only the Gateway account can read it.
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Supported configuration environment fields
When a provider integration supports an env value in OpenClaw configuration, use that supported field rather than copying the key into an agent prompt or a workspace file. Treat the configuration file as sensitive and protect it with the permissions described below.
Enabled login-shell import
An enabled login-shell import can supply variables from a controlled administrator environment. This is useful when credentials are injected by an operating-system credential manager or service wrapper. Verify exactly which shell files are imported; a broadly writable shell startup file can become an indirect credential injection point.
Why a workspace .env is rejected
OpenClaw blocks provider credential variables and endpoint-routing controls from untrusted workspace .env files. A workspace may be cloned from an untrusted repository, modified by an agent tool, or shared with another user. Allowing it to select a provider account or redirect traffic would let a project replace the account that the Gateway is supposed to use.
Therefore, a key placed only in ./.env should be expected to fail. Move it to the Gateway environment, ~/.openclaw/.env, $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/.env, a supported configuration field, or an explicitly enabled login-shell import. Do not work around the block by copying the same value into a prompt, script argument, or tracked file.
Use SecretRefs instead of handing keys to the agent
For supported credential fields, OpenClaw’s shared Secret Store provides a safer indirection. A SecretRef points to a stored value without putting the value itself in openclaw.json, a prompt, or a command line. The Gateway resolves the reference when it needs to perform an authorized operation.
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What the agent receives
Protected secret entries are designed to remain undisclosed to the agent. When the secret egress proxy is enabled for a supported Gateway-hosted subprocess, OpenClaw supplies an opaque sentinel such as oc-sent-v2...end rather than the plaintext key. The subprocess can make the permitted request, while the agent does not receive a reusable credential to print or exfiltrate.
Do not supply a secret template, override the protected variable, or print it for troubleshooting. A debugging step that echoes the variable defeats the protection and can place the value in terminal history, logs, or a session transcript.
When a SecretRef is the right choice
- Several agents or services need the same provider credential but should not be able to read it.
- You want to rotate a value in one store entry instead of editing multiple workspaces.
- You need Gateway-side policy enforcement before a subprocess can use the credential.
- You want to keep plaintext out of configuration backups and prompt transcripts.
SecretRefs do not eliminate the need for provider-side scope restrictions, host permissions, or filesystem hardening. They protect the value’s exposure path; they do not make an overprivileged key safe.
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Bind secrets to exact destinations with the egress proxy
The egress proxy is the control that turns a stored secret into a destination-specific capability. Each protected secret must name the exact HTTPS host or hosts it is allowed to reach. For example, a key intended for api.openai.com must be bound to that host rather than to a broad wildcard or an arbitrary URL pattern.
How the request flow works
- The Gateway-hosted subprocess receives the opaque sentinel, not the plaintext value.
- The subprocess sends a request through the enabled egress proxy.
- The proxy checks the requested HTTPS destination against the secret’s allowed-host binding.
- Only an authorized request receives the real credential on the outbound hop.
- A request to an unbound host is refused.
This prevents a prompt-injected subprocess from taking a valid provider key and posting it to an attacker-controlled server. Destination authorization is separate from provider authorization: the provider can still reject a request whose API scope, account, or endpoint is wrong.
Redirects require a second authorization check
The proxy does not automatically trust redirects. If an approved endpoint redirects to another host, that destination must independently satisfy the authorization policy. This prevents an allowed URL from becoming a bridge to an unapproved domain.
Operational requirements
- Enable the secret egress proxy before starting the Gateway-hosted subprocess that needs the credential.
- Bind every secret to the narrowest exact host set required by the integration.
- Restart the Gateway after changing proxy or secret policy so the running process uses the new configuration.
- Test both the allowed endpoint and an intentionally unbound endpoint; the latter should fail without revealing the key.
Lock down the OpenClaw state directory and configuration
The official hardening guidance specifies user-only access for the state root and configuration file. On a typical installation, use:
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chmod 700 ~/.openclaw
chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/openclaw.jsonIf you use a custom OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR, apply the same principle to that directory and its configuration files. Ownership should belong to the dedicated account that runs the Gateway, not to a shared group or a repository checkout.
Use OpenClaw’s permission check
Run openclaw doctor as the Gateway administrator. It can warn about unsafe permissions and offer to tighten them. Treat a warning as an incident to investigate, not as cosmetic lint: a group-readable state directory may expose credentials, session data, or tool output to every account in that group.
Protect logs and session transcripts
Logs and session databases can contain pasted secrets, file contents, command output, request URLs, and error payloads. Store them under the same user-only boundary, limit log shipping destinations, and set retention periods that match your operational needs. Redaction is useful but not a substitute for access control, because a secret may appear in an unexpected field or in a failed command’s output.
Harden the host
- Run the Gateway under a dedicated operating-system account where practical.
- Use full-disk encryption on shared, portable, or physically exposed computers.
- Restrict interactive access to the account that owns the state root.
- Keep backups of configuration and session data encrypted and access-controlled.
- Do not place the state directory in a cloud-synchronized folder or a world-readable temporary directory.
OpenClaw documentation’s rule is simple: share the state root only with trusted administrators. Anyone outside that group should be treated as able to inspect whatever the state root contains.
Kubernetes: use Kubernetes Secrets, not manifests or ConfigMaps
For a cluster deployment, use Kubernetes Secrets through the official OpenClaw deployment flow. The deployment script accepts provider keys and a Gateway token from environment variables, creates a Secret named openclaw-secrets, and preserves existing values unless you explicitly overwrite them.
Initial deployment
- Export the provider variables and Gateway token in the controlled environment used to launch the deployment script.
- Run the official deployment flow so the values are written to
openclaw-secrets. - Verify that no key appears in a ConfigMap, a committed YAML file, a Helm values file, shell history, or a CI log.
- Confirm that the Gateway pod receives only the variables it needs.
Environment variables used to launch a script can still leak through process inspection or CI diagnostics. Run the deployment from a protected administrator context and mask secret values in pipeline logs.
Changing a credential
Patch the existing Kubernetes Secret with the new value, then restart the OpenClaw deployment so the Gateway reloads it. Avoid deleting the Secret first unless you have confirmed that the deployment can tolerate a missing credential; an unintended gap can interrupt every dependent agent.
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Network exposure
Keep the Gateway bound to loopback and use port-forwarding for administrative access unless you have a specific requirement for remote access. If a remote entry point is necessary, require strong authentication and TLS, and restrict the network path with firewall or cluster policy. A Kubernetes Secret protects storage; it does not protect an unauthenticated service exposed to the network.
Reduce the blast radius of every API key
Choose minimum provider scopes
Create a credential that can perform only the operations OpenClaw actually needs. Separate read-only access from write or billing access, and use different keys for development, production, and administrative tasks. If a provider offers per-resource restrictions, apply them instead of granting account-wide access.
Prefer short-lived or automatically rotating credentials
Long-lived static keys turn a single leak into a persistent account compromise. Prefer short-lived credentials, automatic rotation, OAuth-based authentication, or workload identity federation when the provider supports them. The Cloud Security Alliance’s 2026 guidance recommends eliminating static API keys in favor of short-lived, automatically rotating credentials using OAuth or workload identity.
Set realistic rate limits
Rate limits constrain both accidental loops and malicious use after a partial compromise. Set limits that cover normal agent activity without permitting an attacker to drain an account quickly. Monitor rejected requests as well as successful ones; repeated failures can reveal probing or a broken destination policy.
Allow only approved outbound destinations
Use network egress allowlists in addition to the OpenClaw secret egress policy. The application-level proxy decides whether a secret may accompany a request; a network policy limits where the process can connect at all. Keep the allowlist focused on documented provider endpoints and required supporting services.
Plan rotation and revocation
- Identify every place the credential is injected: Gateway environment, Secret Store entry, Kubernetes Secret, backup, and monitoring system.
- Create the replacement with equal or narrower scope.
- Update the trusted store or deployment Secret.
- Restart the Gateway or workload that caches the old value.
- Revoke the old credential at the provider.
- Review logs and usage records for unexpected destinations or volumes during the overlap.
Do not wait for a confirmed leak before testing this procedure. A rotation that cannot be completed quickly is a larger practical risk than a policy that exists only on paper.
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| Approach | Can the agent read plaintext? | Protection at rest | Exact destination binding | Rotation and revocation | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Workspace .env |
Potentially yes | Depends on workspace permissions and backups | Not provided; provider and routing controls are blocked when untrusted | Manual and scattered | Not suitable for provider credentials |
| Gateway environment | Not necessarily, if subprocess access is restricted | Depends on service and host controls | Requires egress policy | Controlled centrally | Single-host services and tightly managed launchers |
~/.openclaw/.env or $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/.env |
Not by default, but file readers with account access can read it | Strong when ownership and mode are correct | Requires egress policy | Centralized file update and restart | Local or service installations |
| SecretRef with protected store entry | No plaintext should be supplied to the supported agent subprocess | Managed by the shared Secret Store and state-root controls | Yes, when the egress proxy is enabled and hosts are bound | Centralized store update and revocation | Agents that need API access without seeing the key |
| Kubernetes Secret | Depends on pod environment and RBAC; do not assume invisibility | Kubernetes controls plus cluster encryption and RBAC | Requires OpenClaw egress and network policies | Patch Secret, restart workload, revoke old key | Cluster deployments |
The table’s distinction matters: Kubernetes Secrets and environment variables protect storage and distribution, but they do not automatically prevent a process with sufficient privileges from reading plaintext. SecretRefs plus the egress proxy are the option specifically designed to let a supported subprocess use a credential without giving the agent the value.
A hardened setup sequence
- Choose the trust boundary. Decide which operating-system account, Kubernetes namespace, or service identity is allowed to administer the Gateway and state root.
- Move the key out of the workspace. Remove provider credentials from repository files and workspace
.envfiles. Place the value in the Gateway environment, a trusted global dotenv file, a supported configuration field, or a SecretRef. - Prefer a SecretRef for agent-facing integrations. Store the value in the shared Secret Store and reference it from the supported credential field. Never paste the value into a prompt or command argument.
- Enable destination binding. Turn on the secret egress proxy, bind the SecretRef to exact HTTPS hosts, and restart the Gateway.
- Harden permissions. Set the state root to mode
700, the configuration file to mode600, and runopenclaw doctor. - Protect secondary data. Review log, transcript, session-database, backup, and CI permissions. Remove old copies that are no longer required.
- Constrain the provider key. Apply minimum scopes, rate limits, environment separation, and provider-side restrictions.
- Constrain the network. Allow only the provider hosts and other required services at both the OpenClaw proxy and network layers.
- Test failure paths. Confirm that the agent cannot print the plaintext, that an unbound destination is denied, and that a redirect to an unapproved host fails.
- Document rotation. Record where the credential is stored, who can revoke it, how the Gateway is restarted, and how to verify that the old value is no longer active.
Common failure modes and fixes
“The key in my workspace .env is ignored.”
This is expected for provider credentials and endpoint-routing controls. Move the value to a trusted Gateway environment, global state-root dotenv file, supported configuration field, or SecretRef. Do not disable the protection merely to make a cloned workspace work.
“The agent can call the API, but I am worried it can print the key.”
Use a protected SecretRef and the secret egress proxy for a supported Gateway-hosted subprocess. Remove any command, template, or override that expands the protected variable. If the integration cannot use SecretRefs, isolate the Gateway account and process, reduce scopes, and treat the subprocess as able to read whatever its operating-system permissions expose.
“Requests fail after enabling the egress proxy.”
Check the exact HTTPS host in the secret binding, the destination used by the client, and whether a redirect lands on another host. The proxy refuses unbound destinations and does not automatically authorize redirects. Restart the Gateway after policy changes.
“OpenClaw reports unsafe permissions.”
Inspect ownership and modes for the state root, configuration, logs, and session data. Apply user-only access, then rerun openclaw doctor. Also check parent directories and backup locations; a secure file inside a readable parent or unencrypted backup is still exposed.
“A Kubernetes update did not take effect.”
Patch openclaw-secrets and restart the deployment. Confirm that the pod receives the new value and that the old provider credential has been revoked. Editing a ConfigMap or a committed manifest does not update a Secret-backed environment automatically.
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- No provider key exists in a workspace, repository, prompt, shell command, ConfigMap, or committed manifest.
- The Gateway receives credentials only from a trusted environment, global state-root dotenv file, supported configuration field, SecretRef, or Kubernetes Secret.
~/.openclawor the custom state root is mode700;openclaw.jsonis mode600.- Logs, transcripts, session databases, backups, and CI output are treated as sensitive.
- SecretRefs use protected
secretentries where supported. - The egress proxy is enabled, and each secret is bound to exact HTTPS hosts.
- Redirect destinations are covered by authorization policy.
- Provider credentials have minimum scopes, realistic rate limits, and separate environments.
- Short-lived, rotating, OAuth, or workload-identity credentials are used when available.
- Kubernetes access is protected by RBAC, encrypted Secret storage, and restricted network exposure.
- A tested rotation and revocation procedure exists.
OpenClaw is safest when the agent is granted a narrowly defined ability to use an API, not the ability to possess the API key. Keep the value outside untrusted workspaces, let the Gateway or Secret Store mediate access, bind use to exact destinations, and assume that logs and state data require the same protection as the credential itself.
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