How to Add Multiple Anthropic Accounts to OpenClaw

Running out of credits on one Anthropic account? Here's how to connect multiple accounts to OpenClaw for automatic failover.

Why Multiple Accounts?

OpenClaw can automatically switch between Anthropic accounts when one hits rate limits or runs out of credits. This gives you:

• Uninterrupted conversations — if one account fails, it falls back to the next
• Credit pooling — spread usage across accounts
• Billing flexibility — mix personal and work accounts

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw installed and running
• Multiple Anthropic API keys (from console.anthropic.com)

Step 1: Add Your API Keys

Run this for each account you want to add:

clawdbot models auth setup-token --provider anthropic

You'll be prompted to:

1. Enter a profile name (e.g., work, personal, backup)
2. Paste your API key

Repeat for each account. Each gets a unique profile ID like anthropic:work.

Step 2: Check Your Profiles

Verify your profiles were added:

clawdbot models auth list

You should see something like:

Step 3: Set Failover Order

Edit your config to control which account is tried first:

clawdbot config edit

Find the auth section and add/update the order field:

{
  "auth": {
    "profiles": {
      "anthropic:personal": { "provider": "anthropic", "mode": "token" },
      "anthropic:work": { "provider": "anthropic", "mode": "token" },
      "anthropic:backup": { "provider": "anthropic", "mode": "token" }
    },
    "order": {
      "anthropic": [
        "anthropic:personal",
        "anthropic:work",
        "anthropic:backup"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The order array sets the priority — OpenClaw tries the first profile, and if it fails (rate limit, billing, etc.), it moves to the next.

Step 4: Configure Backoff (Optional)

Control how long OpenClaw waits before retrying a failed profile:

{
  "auth": {
    "cooldowns": {
      "billingBackoffHours": 5,
      "billingMaxHours": 24
    }
  }
}

• billingBackoffHours: Initial wait time after a billing failure
• billingMaxHours: Maximum backoff cap

Step 5: Restart and Test

clawdbot gateway restart

Send a message to your agent. Check the logs to confirm which profile is being used:

clawdbot logs -f

Mixing OAuth and API Keys

You can also use Claude CLI's OAuth alongside API keys:

# Add OAuth profile (opens browser)
clawdbot models auth login --provider anthropic

# This creates an 'anthropic:claude-cli' profile

Then include it in your order:

"order": {
  "anthropic": [
    "anthropic:claude-cli",
    "anthropic:personal",
    "anthropic:work"
  ]
}

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API key" errors: Double-check the key at console.anthropic.com

Profile not being used: Check the order array — profiles not listed won't be used for automatic failover

Stuck on one profile: Check cooldowns — a billing failure triggers backoff. See current state with clawdbot status

That's it! Your OpenClaw agent now has redundant Anthropic access. No more conversations dying mid-thought because of rate limits. 🚀