Code execution

code_execution runs sandboxed remote Python analysis on xAI's Responses API. It is registered by the bundled xai plugin (under the tools contract) and dispatches to the same https://api.x.ai/v1/responses endpoint used by x_search.

This is different from local exec:

• exec runs shell commands on your machine or paired node.
• code_execution runs Python in xAI's remote sandbox.

Use code_execution for:

• Calculations.
• Tabulation.
• Quick statistics.
• Chart-style analysis.
• Analyzing data returned by x_search or web_search.

Do not use it when you need local files, your shell, your repo, or paired devices. Use exec for that.

Setup

openclaw models auth login --provider xai --method oauthopenclaw models auth login --provider xai --device-code

openclaw onboard --install-daemonopenclaw onboard --install-daemon --auth-choice xai-device-code

openclaw models auth login --provider xai --method api-keyexport XAI_API_KEY=xai-...

{  plugins: {    entries: {      xai: {        config: {          webSearch: {            apiKey: "xai-...",          },        },      },    },  },}

{  plugins: {    entries: {      xai: {        config: {          codeExecution: {            enabled: true,            model: "grok-4-1-fast", // override the default xAI code-execution model            maxTurns: 2,            // optional cap on internal tool turns            timeoutSeconds: 30,     // request timeout (default: 30)          },        },      },    },  },}

openclaw gateway restart

How to use it

Ask naturally and make the analysis intent explicit:

Use code_execution to calculate the 7-day moving average for these numbers: ...

Use x_search to find posts mentioning OpenClaw this week, then use code_execution to count them by day.

Use web_search to gather the latest AI benchmark numbers, then use code_execution to compare percent changes.

The tool takes a single task parameter internally, so the agent should send the full analysis request and any inline data in one prompt.

Errors

When the tool runs without auth, it returns a structured missing_xai_api_key error pointing at the auth-profile, env var, and config options. The error is JSON, not a thrown exception, so the agent can self-correct:

{  "error": "missing_xai_api_key",  "message": "code_execution needs xAI credentials. Run `openclaw onboard --auth-choice xai-oauth` to sign in with Grok, run `openclaw onboard --auth-choice xai-api-key`, set `XAI_API_KEY` in the Gateway environment, or configure `plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey`.",  "docs": "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/code-execution"}

Limits

• This is remote xAI execution, not local process execution.
• Treat results as ephemeral analysis, not a persistent notebook session.
• Do not assume access to local files or your workspace.
• For fresh X data, use x_search first and pipe the result into code_execution.

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