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llm-task is a bundled optional plugin tool that runs a single JSON-only LLM call and returns structured output, optionally validated against a JSON Schema. It gives workflow engines like Lobster an LLM step without custom OpenClaw code per workflow.

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Enable

  1. Enable the plugin:
{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "llm-task": { "enabled": true }
    }
  }
}
  1. Allow the tool:
{
  "tools": {
    "alsoAllow": ["llm-task"]
  }
}
alsoAllow adds llm-task on top of the active tool profile without restricting other core tools. Use tools.allow only if you want a restrictive allowlist mode instead.

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Config (optional)

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "llm-task": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "defaultProvider": "openai",
          "defaultModel": "gpt-5.5",
          "defaultAuthProfileId": "main",
          "allowedModels": ["openai/gpt-5.5"],
          "maxTokens": 800,
          "timeoutMs": 30000
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
allowedModels is an allowlist of provider/model strings; a request for any other model is rejected. All other keys are per-call fallbacks used when the tool call omits that parameter.

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Tool parameters

ParameterTypeNotes
promptstringRequired. Task instruction for the LLM.
inputanyOptional payload; serialized to JSON and appended to the prompt.
schemaobjectOptional JSON Schema the parsed output must validate against.
providerstringOverrides defaultProvider / the agent’s default provider.
modelstringOverrides defaultModel; accepts bare model ids, aliases, or a provider/model ref (a duplicate provider prefix is stripped automatically).
thinkingstringReasoning level (e.g. low, medium); must be one supported by the resolved model.
authProfileIdstringOverrides defaultAuthProfileId.
temperaturenumberBest-effort; not all providers honor it.
maxTokensnumberBest-effort cap on output tokens.
timeoutMsnumberRun timeout; default 30000.

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Output

Returns details.json (the parsed, schema-validated JSON) plus details.provider and details.model naming what actually ran.

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Example: Lobster workflow step

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Important limitation

The example below assumes the standalone Lobster CLI is running where openclaw.invoke already has the correct gateway URL/auth context. For the bundled embedded Lobster runner inside OpenClaw, this nested CLI pattern is not currently reliable: 
openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{ ... }'
Until embedded Lobster has a supported bridge for this flow, prefer either:
  • direct llm-task tool calls outside Lobster, or
  • Lobster steps that do not rely on nested openclaw.invoke calls.
Standalone Lobster CLI example: 
openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{
  "prompt": "Given the input email, return intent and draft.",
  "thinking": "low",
  "input": {
    "subject": "Hello",
    "body": "Can you help?"
  },
  "schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "intent": { "type": "string" },
      "draft": { "type": "string" }
    },
    "required": ["intent", "draft"],
    "additionalProperties": false
  }
}'

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Safety notes

  • JSON-only: the model is instructed to return only a JSON value, no code fences, no commentary.
  • No tools: the underlying run has tools disabled, so the model cannot call out mid-task.
  • Treat output as untrusted unless you validate it with schema.
  • Put approvals before any side-effecting step (send, post, exec) that consumes this output.