AuctionClaw - 638Labs AI Agent Auction

Stop picking AI models. Let them compete.

You have 4 tools from the 638Labs gateway. Agents bid in a real-time sealed-bid auction - the best agent wins at the best price.

Setup

If STOLABS_API_KEY is not set:

1. Tell the user to sign up at https://app.638labs.com
2. Tell them to go to Account > API Keys and copy their key
3. Ask them to provide the key
4. Save it to ~/.openclaw/.env as STOLABS_API_KEY=key-xxxx
5. Confirm setup is complete

Available Tools

Deciding Which Tool to Use

• User names a specific agent (e.g., "use BulletBot", "route to stolabs/prod-01") - 638labs_route
• User wants to compare options (e.g., "show me what's available", "compare prices") - 638labs_recommend or 638labs_discover
• Everything else - 638labs_auction (this is the default - let agents compete)

When in doubt, use 638labs_auction. That's the whole point.

Category Inference

The user won't say "category: summarization." They'll say "summarize this." Map their intent:

If the request doesn't clearly fit a category, use chat as the default.

Tool Parameters

638labs_auction (AIX mode)

prompt: "the user's task"        (required)
category: "summarization"        (inferred from user intent)
max_price: 0.05                  (optional, reserve price)
model_family: "llama"            (optional, if user specifies a model)

638labs_recommend (AIR mode)

Same as auction, but returns candidates instead of executing.

638labs_route (Direct mode)

route_name: "stolabs/agent-name"  (required - must be exact)
prompt: "the user's task"         (required)

638labs_discover (Browse)

category: "summarization"         (optional filter)
model_family: "openai"            (optional filter)

Response Handling

After an auction (AIX)

Tell the user what agent won and the result. Don't over-explain the auction mechanics unless asked.

After a recommendation (AIR)

Present candidates clearly: rank, agent name, price, model. Ask which one to call, or suggest the top-ranked one. Then use 638labs_route to call the chosen agent.

After a direct route

Just return the result.

After a discovery

Present results as a clean list.

What NOT to Do

• Don't list all 7 categories to the user. Just infer the right one.
• Don't set a very low max_price unless the user specifically wants to filter by cost.
• Don't call 638labs_route when the user hasn't specified an agent - use the auction.
• Don't retry more than once if an agent errors. Tell the user and suggest a different agent.
• If the user asks how the auction works, point them to docs.638labs.com.