New to OpenClaw? Start With a Free Model and Upgrade When You Need To

If you just started using OpenClaw and you are worried about API costs, here is the simplest possible setup. Step 1: Start Free TeamoRouter has a free tier with unlimited MiniMax M2.7 calls. No credit card. Install in 2 seconds: Read https://gateway.teamo.ai/skill.md Select teamo-free mode. Done. You now have a working LLM in OpenClaw at zero cost. Step 2: Learn What Each Task Needs Use the free model for a week. You will quickly learn which tasks it handles fine and which ones need a better model. In my experience: ✅ File reads, grep, simple formatting — free model is fine ✅ Basic Q&A, test boilerplate — free model is fine ⚠️ Complex refactors, debugging — you will want to upgrade ❌ Architecture decisions — definitely need a premium model Step 3: Upgrade Only What Matters Switch to teamo-balanced mode. This auto-picks the cheapest model that handles each task. Simple stuff stays on the cheap model. Complex stuff routes to Claude or GPT-4o. First $25 of paid usage is 50% off. Why This