ClawRelay: macOS-native OpenAI-compatible LLM proxy with automatic failover

What ClawRelay does

ClawRelay is a native Swift application for macOS 15+ that runs an OpenAI-compatible HTTP server locally. You configure LLM providers in priority order (OpenAI, Groq, Nvidia NIMs, Ollama, or any service with a /v1/chat/completions endpoint). When a request comes in, it tries the first provider and automatically falls back to the next if there's a failure (rate limit, 5xx error, or timeout).

Setup and configuration

The app runs in the system tray with quick access and a full settings window. Provider API keys are stored in macOS Keychain. No Docker, Node.js, or config files are required.

To connect your tools:

• Base URL: http://localhost:11434/v1
• API Key: optional for local use, can be generated in-app for LAN or tunnel setups

Works with Cursor, Continue.dev, LM Studio, the Python openai library, and any tool that accepts a custom base URL.

openClaw integration

For openClaw users, one command wires it up:

bash <(curl -fsSL https://www.desertstack.dev/clawrelay/enable-provider.sh ) \
  --provider-id "clawrelay" \
  --base-url "http://localhost:11434/v1" \
  --api-key "claw_relay_key" \
  --api "openai-completions" \
  --model-id "clawrelay" \
  --model-name "ClawRelay"

Generate your key from the Servers tab in ClawRelay. Requires jq and the openclaw CLI.

Deployment options

Beyond localhost, you can bind ClawRelay to your LAN interface to reach it from any device on your network. You can also put Cloudflare Tunnel or ngrok in front to expose it to the internet. The same app and configuration work for all deployment scenarios.

Built-in features

• Request logs included
• System tray access
• Full settings window
• macOS Keychain storage for API keys
• Native Swift implementation