OpenClaw ships a bundled alibaba plugin that registers a video-generation provider for Wan models on Alibaba Model Studio (the international name for DashScope). The plugin is enabled by default; you only need to set an API key.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Provider id | alibaba |
| Plugin | bundled, enabledByDefault: true |
| Auth env vars | MODELSTUDIO_API_KEY → DASHSCOPE_API_KEY → QWEN_API_KEY (first match wins) |
| Onboarding flag | --auth-choice alibaba-model-studio-api-key |
| Direct CLI flag | --alibaba-model-studio-api-key <key> |
| Default model | alibaba/wan2.6-t2v |
| Default base URL | https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com |
Getting started
Set an API key
Use onboarding to store the key against the `alibaba` provider:
```bash
openclaw onboard --auth-choice alibaba-model-studio-api-key
```
Or pass the key directly during install/onboarding:
```bash
openclaw onboard --alibaba-model-studio-api-key <your-key>
```
Or export any of the accepted env vars before starting the Gateway:
```bash
export MODELSTUDIO_API_KEY=sk-...
# or DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=...
# or QWEN_API_KEY=...
```
Set a default video model
```json5
{
agents: {
defaults: {
videoGenerationModel: {
primary: "alibaba/wan2.6-t2v",
},
},
},
}
```
Verify the provider is configured
```bash
openclaw models list --provider alibaba
```
The list should include all five bundled Wan models. If `MODELSTUDIO_API_KEY` is unresolved, `openclaw models status --json` reports the missing credential under `auth.unusableProfiles`.
Note
The Alibaba plugin and the Qwen plugin both authenticate against DashScope and accept overlapping env vars. Use alibaba/... model ids to drive the dedicated Wan video surface; use qwen/... ids when you want Qwen's chat, embedding, or media-understanding surface.
Built-in Wan models
| Model ref | Mode |
|---|---|
alibaba/wan2.6-t2v | Text-to-video (default) |
alibaba/wan2.6-i2v | Image-to-video |
alibaba/wan2.6-r2v | Reference-to-video |
alibaba/wan2.6-r2v-flash | Reference-to-video (fast) |
alibaba/wan2.7-r2v | Reference-to-video |
Capabilities and limits
The bundled provider mirrors DashScope's Wan video API caps. All three modes share the same per-request video count and duration cap; only the input shape differs.
| Mode | Max output videos | Max input images | Max input videos | Max duration | Supported controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text-to-video | 1 | n/a | n/a | 10 s | size, aspectRatio, resolution, audio, watermark |
| Image-to-video | 1 | 1 | n/a | 10 s | size, aspectRatio, resolution, audio, watermark |
| Reference-to-video | 1 | n/a | 4 | 10 s | size, aspectRatio, resolution, audio, watermark |
When a request omits durationSeconds, the provider sends DashScope's accepted default of 5 seconds. Set durationSeconds explicitly on the video generation tool to extend up to 10 s.
Warning
Reference image and video inputs must be remote http(s) URLs. Local file paths are not accepted by DashScope's reference modes; upload to object storage first or use the media tool flow that already produces a public URL.
Advanced configuration
Override the DashScope base URL
The provider defaults to the international DashScope endpoint. To target the China-region endpoint, set:
```json5
{
models: {
providers: {
alibaba: {
baseUrl: "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com",
},
},
},
}
```
The provider strips trailing slashes before constructing AIGC task URLs.
Auth env priority
OpenClaw resolves the Alibaba API key from environment variables in this order, taking the first non-empty value:
1. `MODELSTUDIO_API_KEY`
2. `DASHSCOPE_API_KEY`
3. `QWEN_API_KEY`
Configured `auth.profiles` entries (set via `openclaw models auth login`) override env-var resolution. See [Auth profiles in the models FAQ](/en/help/faq-models#what-is-an-auth-profile) for profile rotation, cooldown, and override mechanics.
Relationship to the Qwen plugin
Both bundled plugins talk to DashScope and accept overlapping API keys. Use:
- `alibaba/wan*.*` ids to drive the dedicated Wan video provider documented on this page.
- `qwen/*` ids for Qwen chat, embedding, and media understanding (see [Qwen](/en/providers/qwen)).
Setting `MODELSTUDIO_API_KEY` once authenticates both plugins because the auth env var list intentionally overlaps; you do not need to onboard each plugin separately.
Related
- Video generation — Shared video tool parameters and provider selection.
- Qwen — Qwen chat, embedding, and media-understanding setup on the same DashScope auth.
- Configuration reference — Agent defaults and model configuration.
- Models FAQ — Auth profiles, switching models, and resolving "no profile" errors.