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code_execution runs sandboxed remote Python analysis on xAI’s Responses API (https://api.x.ai/v1/responses, same endpoint x_search uses). It is registered by the bundled xai plugin under the tools contract.
PropertyValue
Tool namecode_execution
Provider pluginxai (bundled, enabledByDefault: true)
AuthxAI auth profile, XAI_API_KEY, or plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey
Default modelgrok-4-1-fast
Default timeout30 seconds
Default maxTurnsunset (xAI applies its own internal limit)
Use it for calculations, tabulation, quick statistics, and chart-style analysis, including data returned by x_search or web_search. It has no access to local files, your shell, your repo, or paired devices, and it does not persist state between calls, so treat each call as ephemeral analysis, not a notebook session. For fresh X data, run x_search first and pipe the result in. For local execution, use exec instead.

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Setup

1

Provide xAI credentials

OAuth requires an eligible SuperGrok or X Premium subscription (device-code verification, so it works from remote hosts without a localhost callback):
openclaw models auth login --provider xai --method oauth
During a fresh install, the same choice is available in onboarding:
openclaw onboard --install-daemon --auth-choice xai-oauth
Or an API key:
openclaw models auth login --provider xai --method api-key
export XAI_API_KEY=xai-...
Or via config:
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      xai: {
        config: {
          webSearch: {
            apiKey: "xai-...",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
Any of these three also power x_search and Grok web_search.
2

Enable and tune code_execution

code_execution is available whenever xAI credentials resolve. Set plugins.entries.xai.config.codeExecution.enabled to false to disable it, or use the same block to override the model, turn cap, or timeout:
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      xai: {
        config: {
          codeExecution: {
            enabled: true,
            model: "grok-4-1-fast", // override the default xAI code-execution model
            maxTurns: 2,            // optional cap on internal tool turns
            timeoutSeconds: 30,     // request timeout (default: 30)
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
3

Restart the Gateway

openclaw gateway restart
code_execution appears in the agent’s tool list once the xAI plugin re-registers with enabled: true.

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How to use it

Make the analysis intent explicit; the tool takes a single task parameter, so send the full request and any inline data in one prompt: 
Use code_execution to calculate the 7-day moving average for these numbers: ...

Use x_search to find posts mentioning OpenClaw this week, then use code_execution to count them by day.

Use web_search to gather the latest AI benchmark numbers, then use code_execution to compare percent changes.

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Errors

Without auth, the tool returns a structured JSON error (not a thrown exception), so the agent can self-correct: 
{
  "error": "missing_xai_api_key",
  "message": "code_execution needs xAI credentials. Run `openclaw onboard --auth-choice xai-oauth` to sign in with Grok, run `openclaw onboard --auth-choice xai-api-key`, set `XAI_API_KEY` in the Gateway environment, or configure `plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey`.",
  "docs": "https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/code-execution"
}

Exec tool

Local shell execution on your machine or paired node.

Exec approvals

Allow/deny policy for shell execution.

Web tools

web_search, x_search, and web_fetch.

xAI provider

Grok models, web/x search, and code execution config.