OpenClaw + Coding Plan Not Working? Every Error and How to Fix It

You followed the setup guide, pasted your key, and hit run. Instead of code, you got an error. This article covers every failure mode we have seen with the OpenClaw + Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan combo, along with exact fixes you can copy and paste.

If you are still deciding whether the Coding Plan is worth it, read our Alibaba Coding Plan review first.

Error 1: 401 Invalid API Key

Symptom: OpenClaw returns 401 Unauthorized or Invalid API key immediately after sending a request.

Cause: You are using a general Dashscope API key (prefix sk-) instead of the Coding Plan-specific key (prefix sk-sp). The Coding Plan endpoint rejects standard keys outright.

Fix: Log in to the Alibaba Cloud Coding Plan dashboard. Navigate to the Coding Plan section and generate (or copy) the key that starts with sk-sp. Then update your OpenClaw config:

# ~/.openclaw/config.yaml
providers:
  alibaba:
    apiKey: "sk-sp-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"  # Must start with sk-sp
    baseUrl: "https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1"

Restart OpenClaw after saving. If you are unsure which key type you have, run a quick check:

echo $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY | cut -c1-5
# Should print: sk-sp

For a full walkthrough of key generation, see our OpenClaw + Coding Plan setup guide.

Error 2: 403 Invalid API Key (Wrong Base URL)

Symptom: OpenClaw returns 403 Forbidden even though your sk-sp key is correct.

Cause: Your baseUrl points to the general Dashscope endpoint (dashscope.aliyuncs.com) instead of the Coding Plan endpoint (coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com for international, or coding.dashscope.aliyuncs.com for China mainland). The Coding Plan key is valid, but the general endpoint does not recognize it.

Fix: Update the base URL in your config:

# Wrong
baseUrl: "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"

# Correct (international)
baseUrl: "https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1"

# Correct (China mainland)
baseUrl: "https://coding.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1"

This is the single most common mistake we see. The two URLs differ by one subdomain prefix, and the error message does not tell you which endpoint you hit. Double-check both the key prefix and the URL together.

Error 3: Empty Responses

Symptom: OpenClaw sends a request, gets a 200 OK back, but the response body contains no content. The assistant message is blank or contains only whitespace.

Cause: Your model config has reasoning: true. The Coding Plan endpoint does not support reasoning mode for most models. When reasoning is enabled, the API returns a response with reasoning tokens in a separate field that OpenClaw does not display, and the main content field comes back empty.

Fix: Set reasoning to false in your model configuration:

# ~/.openclaw/config.yaml
models:
  qwen-coder:
    provider: alibaba
    model: "qwen3.5-plus"
    reasoning: false  # Must be false for Coding Plan
    maxTokens: 8192

If you need reasoning capabilities, you have two options: use a model that supports it on the general endpoint (with a standard sk- key and the general base URL), or wait for Alibaba to add reasoning support to the Coding Plan tier. For model selection guidance, see our best AI model for OpenClaw breakdown.

Error 4: Connection Errors

Symptom: OpenClaw throws ECONNREFUSED, ETIMEDOUT, or fetch failed when trying to reach the Coding Plan endpoint. No HTTP status code is returned.

Cause: Something between your machine and coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com is blocking the connection. The usual suspects:

1. VPN routing traffic through a region that blocks Chinese cloud endpoints
2. Corporate proxy that does not allowlist Alibaba Cloud domains
3. DNS resolution failure for the coding-intl.dashscope subdomain
4. Firewall rules on your machine or network

Fix: Test connectivity directly:

curl -v https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"

If that times out, try:

1. Disable your VPN temporarily and retry
2. Add the domain to your proxy allowlist:

   coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com
   

3. Test DNS resolution:

   nslookup coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com
   

4. Try a different network (mobile hotspot) to isolate whether it is a local network issue

If you are in a region where Alibaba Cloud endpoints are throttled, a proxy that routes through Singapore or Hong Kong typically resolves the issue.

Error 5: Unknown Model

Symptom: OpenClaw returns model not found or unknown model when you try to send a request.

Cause: The model ID has a typo. Alibaba's model naming is inconsistent with what you might expect. The most common mistake: typing qwen-3.5-plus (with a hyphen before the version) when the actual ID is qwen3.5-plus (no hyphen).

Fix: Use the exact model ID from the Alibaba docs:

# Wrong (common typos)
model: "qwen-3.5-plus"     # Extra hyphen
model: "qwen3.5plus"       # Missing dot
model: "qwen-3.5-coder"    # Wrong suffix

# Correct
model: "qwen3.5-plus"
model: "qwen-coder-plus"
model: "qwen-max"

You can list available models directly from the API:

curl https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DASHSCOPE_API_KEY" | jq '.data[].id'

That gives you the canonical list. Copy the model ID exactly as returned.

Error 6: Stale Model Cache

Symptom: You updated your config with a new model or changed settings, but OpenClaw keeps using the old configuration. Or you get an error for a model that you already fixed in your config file.

Cause: OpenClaw caches model definitions in a local JSON file. Config changes do not take effect until the cache is cleared.

Fix: Delete the cache file and restart:

rm ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json

Then restart OpenClaw. It will rebuild the cache from your current config on the next run.

This also applies after upgrading OpenClaw. If a new version changes how model configs are parsed, the stale cache can cause confusing errors that do not match your actual config. When in doubt, delete the cache.

For more on how OpenClaw handles model routing and configuration, see our OpenClaw cost and pricing breakdown.

Error 7: Unexpected Charges

Symptom: Your Alibaba Cloud bill shows token usage charges even though the Coding Plan should include a monthly quota.

Cause: You are using a general API key (sk-) instead of the Coding Plan key (sk-sp). Requests made with a general key bill at standard per-token rates, completely bypassing your Coding Plan quota. This can also happen if you have multiple providers configured and OpenClaw falls back to one using the general key.

Fix: Verify you are using the plan-specific key:

# Check which key OpenClaw is actually using
grep apiKey ~/.openclaw/config.yaml
# Every key should start with sk-sp if you want Coding Plan billing

If you have multiple providers, make sure your default model points to the Coding Plan provider:

providers:
  coding-plan:
    apiKey: "sk-sp-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    baseUrl: "https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1"
  general:
    apiKey: "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    baseUrl: "https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"

models:
  default:
    provider: coding-plan  # Make sure this points to the right provider
    model: "qwen3.5-plus"

Check your Alibaba Cloud billing console to see which keys generated charges. If you catch it early, the damage is usually small. For a full cost analysis, read our OpenClaw cost and pricing breakdown.

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Before diving into individual errors, run through this checklist:

1. Key prefix: Does your key start with sk-sp? If not, you have the wrong key.
2. Base URL: Does it point to coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com? Not dashscope.aliyuncs.com or dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com.
3. Model ID: Copy it from the API response, not from memory.
4. Reasoning flag: Set to false unless you are certain your model supports it.
5. Cache: Delete ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json after any config change.
6. Network: Can you curl the endpoint directly?
7. Provider mapping: Is your default model pointing to the Coding Plan provider?

If all seven checks pass and you still have issues, update OpenClaw to the latest version (openclaw update) and try again. Breaking changes in the API or client are more common than you would expect with a fast-moving project.

Still Stuck?

If none of these fixes resolve your issue:

• Check the OpenClaw GitHub Issues for similar reports
• Search the OpenClaw Discord for your exact error message
• Open a new issue with your sanitized config (remove your API key), the full error output, and your OpenClaw version (openclaw --version)

For a broader overview of setting up and running OpenClaw, start with our OpenClaw + Alibaba Coding Plan setup guide or our Alibaba Coding Plan review.