Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Summary

好的，我帮你整理了一份详细的 Issue 描述，你可以直接复制到 OpenClaw 的 GitHub Issues 页面。如果有需要补充的地方，可以自行修改。

🐛 Issue: Cannot convert argument to a ByteString when calling model provider (zhipu-0ki/GLM-5)

Environment

• OpenClaw version: 2026.3.12 (6472949)
• Node.js version: 22.22.1
• OS: Windows 11 + WSL2 (Ubuntu 22.04)
• Installation method: npm global install
• Model provider: zhipu-0ki (0ki.cn), model GLM-5

Description

After successful configuration and API key validation (verified via curl), any attempt to use the model through OpenClaw (CLI or Web UI) fails with the following error:

Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.

The error appears both when running openclaw agent --message "Hello" --agent main and when the Web UI attempts to connect via WebSocket. The gateway logs show the error originates from the model call:

warn agent/embedded {"event":"embedded_run_agent_end","error":"Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755...","model":"GLM-5","provider":"zhipu-0ki",...}

However, directly querying the API with the same key and model works perfectly:

curl https://api.0ki.cn/api/coding/paas/v4/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <valid-key>" \
  -d '{"model":"GLM-5","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Hello"}],"stream":false}'

→ Returns a valid JSON with Chinese content.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install OpenClaw globally: npm i -g openclaw
2. Run openclaw onboard and configure zhipu-0ki provider with a valid API key and model GLM-5.
3. Start the gateway: openclaw gateway start
4. Send a message via CLI: openclaw agent --message "Hello" --agent main
5. Observe the ByteString error.

Expected Behavior

The model should respond normally, and the CLI should display the assistant's reply.

Actual Behavior

The CLI outputs the ByteString error and exits. Web UI also fails to establish a WebSocket connection (though WebSocket itself works, as confirmed by wscat).

Logs (relevant excerpts)

19:55:18 warn agent/embedded {"subsystem":"agent/embedded"} {"event":"embedded_run_agent_end","tags":["error_handling","lifecycle","agent_end","assistant_error"],"runId":"ec298bda-af38-4fac-a48b-955a20e4eed0","isError":true,"error":"Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.","failoverReason":null,"model":"GLM-5","provider":"zhipu-0ki","rawErrorPreview":"Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.","rawErrorHash":"sha256:43649301909b"}
19:55:18 info Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.

Attempted Solutions

• Restarted gateway and system.
• Changed gateway token and cleared browser storage.
• Configured networkingMode=mirrored in .wslconfig to fix localhost forwarding.
• Tried accessing via IP 172.25.5.84 and 127.0.0.1 with correct token.
• Used SSH tunnels and wslview to bypass Windows network.
• Verified API key works via curl.
• Upgraded Node.js to latest 22.x and reinstalled OpenClaw.
• Disabled firewall temporarily.
• Tried different browsers and incognito mode (unrelated to CLI issue).

Configuration (sanitized)

{
  "meta": { ... },
  "wizard": { ... },
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "zhipu-0ki": {
        "baseUrl": "https://api.0ki.cn/api/coding/paas/v4",
        "apiKey": "oki-xxxxx...",
        "auth": "api-key",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "authHeader": true,
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "GLM-5",
            "name": "GLM-5",
            "api": "openai-completions",
            "contextWindow": 200000,
            "maxTokens": 2000000,
            "compat": { "maxTokensField": "max_tokens" }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": { "primary": "zhipu-0ki/GLM-5" },
      "models": { "zhipu-0ki/GLM-5": { "alias": "GLM" } },
      "workspace": "/home/huancheng/.openclaw/workspace"
    }
  },
  "gateway": {
    "port": 18789,
    "mode": "local",
    "bind": "lan",
    "controlUi": {
      "allowedOrigins": [
        "http://localhost:18789",
        "http://127.0.0.1:18789",
        "http://172.25.5.84:18789"
      ]
    },
    "auth": { "mode": "token", "token": "1234" }
  }
}

Additional Notes

• The error seems to be related to how OpenClaw processes the API response containing Chinese characters. The same response is parsed correctly by curl and other tools.
• The tools.profile warning about apply_patch may be unrelated but could indicate some tool interference.
• This issue prevents both CLI and Web UI from functioning, making OpenClaw unusable with this provider.

Suggested Next Steps

• Investigate the ByteString conversion in the model response handling code.
• Check if the issue is specific to this provider's response format (e.g., non-standard JSON or special characters).
• Consider adding a fallback encoding or more robust JSON parsing.

Thank you for looking into this! Let me know if you need more information or logs.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install OpenClaw globally: npm i -g openclaw
2. Run openclaw onboard and configure zhipu-0ki provider with a valid API key and model GLM-5.
3. Start the gateway: openclaw gateway start
4. Send a message via CLI: openclaw agent --message "Hello" --agent main
5. Observe the ByteString error.

Expected behavior

at Summary

Actual behavior

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.3.12 (6472949) — Pairing codes exist because even bots believe in consent—and good security hygiene.

│
◇
Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.

OpenClaw version

2026.3.12 (6472949)

Operating system

Windows11

Install method

No response

Model

glm-5

Provider / routing chain

at Summary

Config file / key location

19:58:10 warn tools {"subsystem":"tools"} tools.profile (coding) allowlist contains unknown entries (apply_patch). These entries won't match any tool unless the plugin is enabled. 19:58:10 warn agent/embedded {"subsystem":"agent/embedded"} {"event":"embedded_run_agent_end","tags":["error_handling","lifecycle","agent_end","assistant_error"],"runId":"9a8e0193-34a3-4bad-aa1f-aa3d34cba686","isError":true,"error":"Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.","failoverReason":null,"model":"GLM-5","provider":"zhipu-0ki","rawErrorPreview":"Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255.","rawErrorHash":"sha256:43649301909b"} embedded run agent end 19:58:10 info Cannot convert argument to a ByteString because the character at index 7 has a value of 36755 which is greater than 255. 19:58:10 info Cannot conver

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response