Groq provides ultra-fast inference on open-weight models (Llama, Gemma, Kimi, Qwen, GPT OSS, and more) using custom LPU hardware. The Groq plugin registers both an OpenAI-compatible chat provider and an audio media-understanding provider.

Install plugin

Install the official plugin:

apus plugins install @openclaw/groq-provider

Installation applies to a running Gateway automatically; otherwise it takes effect on the next startup. See Apply changes and inspect.

Getting started

Create an API key at [console.groq.com/keys](https://console.groq.com/keys).

```bash
export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...
```

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "groq/openai/gpt-oss-120b" },
    },
  },
}
```

```bash
apus models list --provider groq
```

Config file example

{
  env: { vars: { GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk_..." } },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "groq/openai/gpt-oss-120b" },
    },
  },
}

Built-in catalog

Apus ships a manifest-backed Groq catalog with both reasoning and non-reasoning entries. Run apus models list --provider groq to see the static rows for your installed version, or check console.groq.com/docs/models for Groq's authoritative list.

The manifest also retains groq/llama-3.1-8b-instant and groq/llama-3.3-70b-versatile as hidden deprecated compatibility rows after Groq's August 16, 2026 shutdown. Use groq/openai/gpt-oss-20b and groq/openai/gpt-oss-120b, respectively, for new configurations.

Reasoning models

Groq reasoning models (reasoning: true in the table above) map Apus's shared /think levels onto reasoning_effort values of low, medium, or high. /think off or /think none omits reasoning_effort from the request rather than sending a disabled value.

See Thinking modes for the shared /think levels and how Apus translates them per provider.

Audio transcription

Groq's plugin also registers an audio media-understanding provider so voice messages can be transcribed through the shared tools.media.audio surface.

To make Groq the default audio backend:

{
  tools: {
    media: {
      models: [{ provider: "groq", capabilities: ["audio"] }],
    },
  },
}

If the Gateway runs as a managed service (launchd, systemd, Docker), `GROQ_API_KEY` must be visible to that process — not just to your interactive shell.

  A key exported only in an interactive shell will not help a launchd or systemd daemon unless that environment is imported there too. Set the key in `~/.apus/.env` or via `env.shellEnv` to make it readable from the gateway process.

Apus accepts any Groq model id at runtime. Use the exact id shown by Groq and prefix it with `groq/`. The static catalog covers the common cases; uncatalogued ids fall through to the default OpenAI-compatible template.

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "groq/<your-model-id>" },
    },
  },
}
```

Related

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

Reasoning effort levels and provider-policy interaction.

Full config schema including provider and audio settings.

Groq dashboard, API docs, and pricing.