If your fallback chain has become noisy or misleading, clear it explicitly and rebuild only the backups you actually want. OpenClaw has a direct command for this, so there is no reason to edit the config file by hand.
Quick answer
Run openclaw models fallbacks clear, then confirm the result with openclaw models fallbacks list and openclaw models status.
Command line steps
1. Clear the chain in one shot
This removes the configured fallback list without touching the primary model.
BASH
$openclaw models fallbacks clear
2. Verify that the chain is really empty
Check both the short list and the full status view.
BASH
$openclaw models fallbacks list
openclaw models status
3. Add back only the backups you want
Rebuild the chain deliberately instead of carrying forward stale providers.
BASH
$openclaw models fallbacks add <provider/model>
openclaw models status --probe
What to check if it still fails
- If the same fallback reappears, another tool or wizard step may be re-writing the config. Reopen
openclaw configure --section modeland save once. - If a removed fallback still shows up in chat, you are probably looking at session-level model state rather than gateway config.
- If status shows missing auth for a fallback you kept, fix the credentials now or the backup will not help during failures.