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Overview

PicoClaw has transitioned from the legacy providers configuration to a new model_list format. The new format is:
  • More flexible - Configure multiple models from the same provider
  • More powerful - Support for load balancing and custom endpoints
  • Vendor-agnostic - Uses vendor/model format instead of separate provider + model
  • Easier to understand - Model-centric configuration
The legacy providers format is deprecated but still supported for backward compatibility. New features will only be added to model_list.

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Migration Overview

The migration process involves:
  1. Moving provider configuration from providers to model_list
  2. Updating agents.defaults.model from model name to vendor/model format
  3. Removing the old provider field
PicoClaw automatically migrates legacy configs at runtime, but you should update your config files manually for clarity.

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Migration Examples

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Example 1: OpenAI

Before (Legacy): 
{
  "providers": {
    "openai": {
      "api_key": "sk-...",
      "api_base": "https://api.openai.com/v1"
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "gpt-4"
    }
  }
}
After (New): 
{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "gpt-4",
      "model": "openai/gpt-4",
      "api_key": "sk-..."
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "gpt-4"
    }
  }
}

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Example 2: Anthropic

Before: 
{
  "providers": {
    "anthropic": {
      "api_key": "sk-ant-..."
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "provider": "anthropic",
      "model": "claude-sonnet-4.6"
    }
  }
}
After: 
{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "claude-sonnet-4.6",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6",
      "api_key": "sk-ant-..."
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "claude-sonnet-4.6"
    }
  }
}

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Example 3: Zhipu

Before: 
{
  "providers": {
    "zhipu": {
      "api_key": "your-key",
      "api_base": "https://open.bigmodel.cn/api/paas/v4"
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "provider": "zhipu",
      "model": "glm-4.7"
    }
  }
}
After: 
{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "glm-4.7",
      "model": "zhipu/glm-4.7",
      "api_key": "your-key"
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "glm-4.7"
    }
  }
}
The api_base for Zhipu is optional in the new format - it’s set automatically to the correct endpoint.

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Example 4: Multiple Providers

Before: 
{
  "providers": {
    "openai": {
      "api_key": "sk-openai-..."
    },
    "anthropic": {
      "api_key": "sk-ant-..."
    },
    "groq": {
      "api_key": "gsk-..."
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "gpt-4"
    }
  }
}
After: 
{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "gpt-4",
      "model": "openai/gpt-4",
      "api_key": "sk-openai-..."
    },
    {
      "model_name": "claude-sonnet-4.6",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6",
      "api_key": "sk-ant-..."
    },
    {
      "model_name": "llama-3-70b",
      "model": "groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile",
      "api_key": "gsk-..."
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "gpt-4",
      "fallbacks": ["claude-sonnet-4.6", "llama-3-70b"]
    }
  }
}

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Example 5: Custom Endpoint

Before: 
{
  "providers": {
    "openai": {
      "api_key": "sk-...",
      "api_base": "https://my-proxy.com/v1"
    }
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "custom-gpt-4"
    }
  }
}
After: 
{
  "model_list": [
    {
      "model_name": "custom-gpt-4",
      "model": "openai/custom-gpt-4",
      "api_key": "sk-...",
      "api_base": "https://my-proxy.com/v1"
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "custom-gpt-4"
    }
  }
}

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Field Mapping

Legacy FieldNew FieldNotes
providers.{vendor}.api_keymodel_list[].api_keySame
providers.{vendor}.api_basemodel_list[].api_baseOptional, auto-detected for known providers
agents.defaults.provider(removed)Now part of model field
agents.defaults.modelagents.defaults.modelNow references model_name from model_list

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Vendor Name Mapping

When migrating, use these vendor prefixes:
ProviderVendor Prefix
OpenAIopenai/
Anthropicanthropic/
Zhipu AI (GLM)zhipu/
DeepSeekdeepseek/
Google Geminigemini/
Groqgroq/
Moonshotmoonshot/
Qwen (通义千问)qwen/
NVIDIAnvidia/
Ollamaollama/
OpenRouteropenrouter/
LiteLLMlitellm/
VLLMvllm/
Cerebrascerebras/
See the complete provider list for all supported vendors.

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Automatic Migration

PicoClaw automatically migrates legacy configs at runtime: 
[INFO] config: Auto-migrating legacy providers config to model_list
[INFO] config: Migrated provider: openai → model_list[0]
[INFO] config: Migrated provider: anthropic → model_list[1]
But you should manually update your config for clarity.

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Migration Script

Here’s a Python script to help migrate your config: 
import json
import sys

def migrate_config(old_config):
    new_config = old_config.copy()
    
    # Create model_list from providers
    if "providers" in old_config:
        model_list = []
        
        for vendor, config in old_config["providers"].items():
            # Get model name from agents.defaults
            model_name = old_config.get("agents", {}).get("defaults", {}).get("model", "")
            
            entry = {
                "model_name": model_name,
                "model": f"{vendor}/{model_name}",
                "api_key": config.get("api_key", "")
            }
            
            if "api_base" in config:
                entry["api_base"] = config["api_base"]
            
            model_list.append(entry)
        
        new_config["model_list"] = model_list
        del new_config["providers"]
    
    # Update agents.defaults
    if "agents" in new_config and "defaults" in new_config["agents"]:
        if "provider" in new_config["agents"]["defaults"]:
            del new_config["agents"]["defaults"]["provider"]
    
    return new_config

if __name__ == "__main__":
    with open("config.json", "r") as f:
        old_config = json.load(f)
    
    new_config = migrate_config(old_config)
    
    with open("config.new.json", "w") as f:
        json.dump(new_config, f, indent=2)
    
    print("Migrated config saved to config.new.json")
Usage: 
python migrate.py
# Review config.new.json
# If looks good: mv config.new.json ~/.picoclaw/config.json

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Testing Your Migration

After migrating, test your config: 
# Check configuration
picoclaw status

# Test agent with new config
picoclaw agent -m "Hello, are you working?"

# Check provider status
picoclaw auth status

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Breaking Changes

No breaking changes! The legacy format is still supported. However:
  • New features (load balancing, advanced routing) only work with model_list
  • Deprecation warnings may appear in logs
  • Future versions may remove legacy support entirely

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Benefits of New Format

Load balancing

Configure multiple API keys for the same model

Flexible routing

Mix models from different providers

Clearer config

Model-centric instead of provider-centric

Custom endpoints

Easier to configure custom API bases

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Troubleshooting

  • Ensure you deleted the provider field from agents.defaults
  • Check that model in agents.defaults matches a model_name in model_list
  • Restart PicoClaw after config changes
  • Verify api_key is correctly copied to model_list
  • Check api_base if you had a custom endpoint
  • Run picoclaw status to see provider health
  • These are safe to ignore if everything works
  • Migrate to model_list to remove warnings
  • Legacy support will be removed in a future version

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Next Steps

Model Configuration

Complete guide to model_list configuration

Load Balancing

Use multiple endpoints for high availability

Providers

Understand the provider system

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

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