openclaw --version

OpenClaw 2026.4.2 (d74a122)

Schema says it's valid:

openclaw config schema --path agents.defaults.compaction.model

Returns: { type: "string", hint: { label: "Compaction Model Override", ... } }

But config.patch rejects it:

config.patch path=agents.defaults.compaction raw={"model":"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6"}

Error: invalid config: <root>: Unrecognized key: "model"

TL;DR

The config validator likely needs an update to include the new compaction keys in its allowlist, but a temporary workaround is to edit the openclaw.json file directly and restart the service with SIGUSR1.

Guidance

• Verify that the openclaw.json file can be edited directly without issues by checking the file's permissions and ownership.
• Use the openclaw config schema command to ensure the schema definitions for the new compaction keys are correct and match the documentation.
• Consider filing an issue or pull request to update the config validator's allowlist to include the new keys.
• Test the workaround by editing the openclaw.json file, restarting the service, and verifying that the new keys are accepted.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not necessary for this issue, but an example of the direct file edit could be adding the following to the openclaw.json file:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "compaction": {
        "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
        "customInstructions": "...",
        "postCompactionSections": "..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Notes

This workaround may not be suitable for production environments or large-scale deployments, and a permanent fix should be prioritized.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by editing the openclaw.json file directly and restarting the service, as it allows for temporary use of the new compaction keys until a permanent fix is available.