Summary

OpenClaw can report anthropic:claude-cli as expired / expiring in model auth status even though Claude CLI local credentials are fresh enough for successful runtime use.

In my case:

• claude --print -p "say hello" worked
• an OpenClaw ACP Claude session also worked
• but openclaw models status still reported stale/incorrect claude-cli auth state until I manually rewrote the OpenClaw auth profile

This looks like a mismatch between:

• runtime credential loading for Claude CLI
• and the stored/profile-based auth health/status path

Environment

• OpenClaw version: 2026.4.22
• Install path: /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw
• Host: Linux (Debian 13 in LXC)

What I observed

Before repair:

• openclaw models status showed anthropic:claude-cli expired / expiring
• local Claude CLI invocation still worked
• OpenClaw ACP Claude spawn also succeeded

Relevant files:

• OpenClaw stored auth profile: /root/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json
• Claude local credentials: /root/.claude/.credentials.json

After running:

• openclaw models auth login --provider anthropic --method cli --set-default

…the status changed from stale expired to expiring, and runtime continued to work.

Why this seems like a bug

The runtime path appears able to use fresh Claude CLI credentials, while auth health/status can still rely on stale stored profile data.

From code inspection, likely relevant files are:

• /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/auth-health-C2llzDPf.js
• /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/auth-profiles-BdVv03AU.js
• /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/store-DvC8xs3S.js
• /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/prepare.runtime-uR-bHnQr.js

Expected behavior

If Claude CLI local credentials are valid enough for runtime use, openclaw models status / auth health should reflect that consistently, or at least clearly distinguish:

• stored OpenClaw auth profile state
• live external CLI credential state

Actual behavior

Status/health can show expired / expiring for claude-cli even while:

• direct Claude CLI calls work
• OpenClaw Claude ACP sessions work

Repro idea

1. Have working Claude CLI local auth
2. Let OpenClaw stored auth profile become stale or drift from Claude CLI local credentials
3. Run openclaw models status
4. Compare with:
   • claude --print -p "say hello"
   • a real OpenClaw Claude ACP run

Workaround

Re-run:

openclaw models auth login --provider anthropic --method cli --set-default

…but this only refreshes the OpenClaw-side stored profile; it does not seem to solve the underlying status/runtime mismatch.