Agent workspace
Experimental features
Experimental features are preview surfaces controlled by config flags. They need more real-world mileage before their shape and behavior become long-lived contracts.
- Off by default unless the feature docs state otherwise.
- Shape and behavior can change faster than stable config.
- Prefer a stable path when one already exists.
- Roll out broadly only after testing in a smaller environment first.
All plugin APIs are also experimental. That stability label does not require a Labs switch for ordinary plugins; the Custom plugin UI flag below controls user-installed native browser code only.
Currently documented flags
| Surface | Key | Use it when | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codex harness | plugins.entries.codex.config.appServer.experimental.sandboxExecServer |
You want native Codex app-server 0.143.0 or newer to target an OpenClaw sandbox-backed exec-server instead of disabling Code Mode | Codex harness reference |
| Code Mode | tools.codeMode.enabled |
You want compact code-orchestrated access to a hidden OpenClaw tool catalog | Code Mode |
| Cloud workers | cloudWorkers.desktop |
You want to watch or control desktop-capable cloud worker environments from the Control UI | Cloud Worker Desktop |
| Custom plugin UI | gateway.controlUi.experimental.customPlugins |
You want trusted user-installed plugins to add native Control UI views or replace built-in views | Feature plugins |
| Host Desktop | desktop.host.enabled |
You want to watch or control the Gateway host through its VNC or Screen Sharing server | Desktop |
| Tool Search | tools.toolSearch.enabled |
You want to control the global Tool Search default, which is enabled | Tool Search |
Control UI Labs
Open Settings → Labs to manage experiments that have a Control UI switch. Enabling or disabling a lab patches the canonical Gateway config immediately without restarting the Gateway.
Labs includes Code Mode, Tool Search for all models, Custom plugin UI,
Host Desktop, and Cloud Worker Desktop. Under the default reload mode, custom
plugin views and desktop availability update in connected Control UI pages.
Code Mode and Tool Search changes take effect for future agent runs.
Reload browser tabs after disabling Custom plugin UI to clear plugin JavaScript
that already ran. The Cloud Worker Desktop lab controls access to existing
desktop-capable workers; changing a profile's settings.desktop affects only
newly provisioned workers.
Custom plugin UI is off by default. Enabled bundled plugins, including Workboard, retain their native UI with the setting off. Backend APIs and ordinary plugins remain available, and installing or approving a plugin artifact does not enable the lab.
Code Mode remains disabled until you turn on its Labs switch or explicitly set
tools.codeMode to true or "auto". The Labs switch writes "auto", so it
engages only for models marked as preferred Code Mode performers; it does not
force Code Mode on for every model.
Tool Search is enabled by default when tools.toolSearch is unset.
Turning its Labs switch off disables the global default; turning it on restores
that default.
Local model lean mode
Lean mode is an advanced troubleshooting override, configured outside Labs.
Its existing experimental.localModelLean keys remain supported. See
Local model lean mode for capability
restrictions, config examples, and recovery guidance.
Experimental does not mean hidden
An experimental feature should say so plainly in docs and in the config path itself, not hide behind a stable-looking default knob.