Chapter 14: Configuration Reference

Outline

14.1 Why Configuration Belongs in a Security Book

• Configuration is not deployment trivia; it is executable security policy
• OpenClaw behavior changes materially with routes, tool exposure, and approval rules
• The appendix exists to make operational truth legible

14.2 Source Hierarchy and Precedence

• Versioned defaults, deployment overlays, workspace instructions, runtime settings, and task-scoped overrides
• Why precedence must be explicit rather than guessed
• Keeping live runtime state separate from static configuration

14.3 Model and Provider Routing

• Local configuration as the only trustworthy statement of model availability
• Provider allowlists, route selection, and capability-specific model choices
• Avoiding “documentation says it exists” authority drift

14.4 Tool Exposure and Capability Policy

• Tool availability, elevated actions, approval requirements, and sandbox choices
• Per-tool boundaries as part of configuration, not only runtime behavior
• Why hidden defaults are dangerous

14.5 Agent Instructions, Memory, and Workspace Context

• System persona, workspace guidance, human notes, and durable memory serving different roles
• Separating behavioral guidance from operational truth
• Preventing prompt context from becoming accidental authority

14.6 Secrets, Environment Variables, and External Endpoints

• Secrets as separate security subjects, not prompt material
• Endpoint configuration, service URLs, and provider credentials
• Rotation, scoping, and visibility discipline

14.7 Runtime Overrides, Sessions, and Delegated Work

• Session-level overrides, subagent scope, thread binding, and cron parameters
• When narrower overrides are helpful and when they become governance drift
• Carrying policy without smearing authority across runtimes

14.8 Validation, Drift Detection, and Change Control

• Verifying live schema, route ownership, health, and dependency readiness before acting
• Treating configuration changes as reviewed artifacts
• Detecting stale assumptions before they become incidents

14.9 Common Configuration Anti-Patterns

• Ambient credentials, undocumented overrides, duplicate ingress ownership, and implied availability
• Why “temporary” config often becomes production truth
• Recovery patterns that restore clarity

14.10 Reference Checklist

• The minimum questions operators should answer before trusting a deployment
• Concise closing guidance for future maintenance