SURVIVOR
Right-sizing model selection reduces API costs 70–90% for most workloads Built-in failover has a known bug. Here's a config that actually works. Context window discipline: the single setting that matters most for cost Linux-specific setup: what the docs assume vs. what's actually different Skills marketplace hygiene — how to vet before you install Right-sizing model selection reduces API costs 70–90% for most workloads Built-in failover has a known bug. Here's a config that actually works. Context window discipline: the single setting that matters most for cost Linux-specific setup: what the docs assume vs. what's actually different Skills marketplace hygiene — how to vet before you install
Survivor — The Broken By Default Chronicles

If you're going
to use it,
use it right.

Working configurations, genuine cost-cutting, and the things that'll get your accounts compromised if nobody tells you first. Practical, positive, and community-driven — this section needs people to grow.

Section
02
This section is a community resource in progress. The goal is shared, practical knowledge: verified configs, cost-saving setups, and the hard-won workarounds. Community format is still being decided — something that doesn't require moderation theater. Watch this space.
Cost Optimization

You're probably overpaying. Here's how much.

The default configuration points at expensive frontier models for everything — including tasks where a much smaller, much cheaper model gives identical results for your use case. A few changes can cut a typical bill by 70–90% with no meaningful quality loss.

  • Model selection by task type: the decision matrix nobody published
  • Context window discipline — the setting that matters most for cost
  • When local hardware makes sense vs. when it's pure waste
  • Calculating your actual cost before you get surprised by the bill
Guides in preparation
Working Configs

Configurations people have actually verified

Not the tutorial configs. The ones that work after you've hit all the day-two problems. Community-sourced, platform noted, and version-pinned where it matters. Linux, macOS, Windows — each has its own quirks that the docs ignore.

  • SOUL.md / system prompt setups that don't blow up the context window
  • Reliable model failover config (the built-in one has a documented bug)
  • Linux-specific setup: what the docs assume vs. what's actually different
  • Minimal footprint setups for people who don't want full shell access
Community contributions welcome
Security & Safety

What to lock down before you go further

Practical, not alarmist. If you've installed OpenClaw following a standard tutorial, there are things you should check before you point it at anything that matters. Not about avoiding the tool — about understanding what you've actually installed.

  • The permissions audit: what OpenClaw can reach and how to scope it down
  • Skills marketplace hygiene — how to vet a skill before installing it
  • Email and credential exposure: the specific risk path, and how to close it
  • What to do if you've already installed unvetted skills from ClawHub
Guide in preparation
Known Bugs

Things that break out of the box

Reproducible bugs and the workarounds that actually fix them. Platform noted, version noted, marked when an official fix lands. The self-update loop alone has burned more people than it should have.

  • The self-update loop — instructs itself to update, then fails silently
  • Primary/backup model failover: the conditions where it doesn't
  • Context blowout patterns — triggers and recovery
  • Windows and NPM path install quirks the docs don't mention
Collecting reports
Platform Parity

macOS gets full docs. Linux gets what, exactly?

The documentation skews heavily toward macOS/brew. A community-maintained table of what actually works on each platform — verified, not assumed. Windows, Linux, and NPM global install users need this most.

  • Install documentation quality by platform
  • Feature availability gaps across platforms
  • Self-update behavior on each platform
  • Shell integration and path quirks
Community data needed
Alternatives

What else is out there

Not an affiliate roundup. An honest look at the agent framework space — what each alternative is genuinely better suited for, and what the tradeoffs are. Forks, competitors, and the open-source adjacent ecosystem that OpenClaw's media dominance has overshadowed.

  • The growing fork ecosystem — what forks fix and what they inherit
  • Lighter-weight alternatives for workloads that don't need full agent capability
  • When a plain API call is the right answer and orchestration is overkill
In research

This section needs people. If you have a verified config, a cost breakdown, a reproducible bug, or a hard-won workaround — this is where it belongs. Community format is still being decided. Something will be here soon for contributions.