OpenClaw Ollama Cloud: Three-Layer Fix for Missing Models and Doctor Delete Bug

User /u/christof21 reports a frustrating clean install of OpenClaw on Mac Mini with only one cloud model (kimi-k2.5:cloud) working, despite configuring three models. After deep debugging, they uncovered a three-layer issue touching provider registration, schema validation, and the doctor command's blind spot.
The Three-Layer Problem
OpenClaw's bundled model defaults only ship three Ollama Cloud models: kimi-k2.5:cloud, minimax-m2.7:cloud, and glm-5.1:cloud. Any custom models (e.g., deepseek-v4-pro:cloud, nemotron-3-ultra:cloud, minimax-m3:cloud) must be registered under models.providers.ollama-cloud.models[]. The installer config did not write these entries — that's why only kimi-k2.5 appeared.
Second, each model entry needs both an id and a name field to satisfy the gateway schema. Adding only id (as the runtime hint suggests) silently fails. The fix: include both.
Third, openclaw doctor --fix and config validate do not load the Ollama extension. Because they don't recognize ollama-cloud as a bundled provider, they complain "must declare baseUrl" and doctor --fix deletes your entire Ollama Cloud provider block. This is why the manual fix kept vanishing on restart.
The Fix
Add an explicit baseUrl: "https://ollama.com" (identical to the built-in value, no behavior change) to your provider config. This satisfies both the validator and the gateway.
providers:
ollama-cloud:
baseUrl: "https://ollama.com"
models:
- id: deepseek-v4-pro:cloud
name: deepseek-v4-pro:cloud
- id: nemotron-3-ultra:cloud
name: nemotron-3-ultra:cloud
- id: minimax-m3:cloud
name: minimax-m3:cloud
Warnings
- Do not run
openclaw doctor --fix— it will nuke your block again. Validate manually or skip doctor entirely. - When adding more cloud models later, add them to both
agents.defaults.modelsand the providers list with{id, name}. - Keep the
baseUrlline — it's the only defense against doctor's deletion.
For now, the workaround works. A permanent fix would require the doctor command to load extensions before validating providers — but that's upstream.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
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