Providers
Deepgram
Deepgram is a speech-to-text API. In OpenClaw it is used for inbound
audio/voice-note transcription through tools.media.audio and for Voice Call
streaming STT through plugins.entries.voice-call.config.streaming.
For batch transcription, OpenClaw uploads the complete audio file to Deepgram
and injects the transcript into the reply pipeline ({{Transcript}} +
[Audio] block). For Voice Call streaming, OpenClaw forwards live G.711
u-law frames over Deepgram's WebSocket listen endpoint and emits partial or
final transcripts as Deepgram returns them.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Website | deepgram.com |
| Docs | developers.deepgram.com |
| Auth | DEEPGRAM_API_KEY |
| Default model | nova-3 |
Getting started
Set your API key
Add your Deepgram API key to the environment:
DEEPGRAM_API_KEY=dg_...
Enable the audio provider
{
tools: {
media: {
audio: {
enabled: true,
models: [{ provider: "deepgram", model: "nova-3" }],
},
},
},
}
Send a voice note
Send an audio message through any connected channel. OpenClaw transcribes it via Deepgram and injects the transcript into the reply pipeline.
Configuration options
| Option | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
model |
tools.media.audio.models[].model |
Deepgram model id (default: nova-3) |
language |
tools.media.audio.models[].language |
Language hint (optional) |
detect_language |
tools.media.audio.providerOptions.deepgram.detect_language |
Enable language detection (optional) |
punctuate |
tools.media.audio.providerOptions.deepgram.punctuate |
Enable punctuation (optional) |
smart_format |
tools.media.audio.providerOptions.deepgram.smart_format |
Enable smart formatting (optional) |
With language hint
{
tools: {
media: {
audio: {
enabled: true,
models: [{ provider: "deepgram", model: "nova-3", language: "en" }],
},
},
},
}
With Deepgram options
{
tools: {
media: {
audio: {
enabled: true,
providerOptions: {
deepgram: {
detect_language: true,
punctuate: true,
smart_format: true,
},
},
models: [{ provider: "deepgram", model: "nova-3" }],
},
},
},
}
Voice Call streaming STT
The bundled deepgram plugin also registers a realtime transcription provider
for the Voice Call plugin.
| Setting | Config path | Default |
|---|---|---|
| API key | plugins.entries.voice-call.config.streaming.providers.deepgram.apiKey |
Falls back to DEEPGRAM_API_KEY |
| Model | ...deepgram.model |
nova-3 |
| Language | ...deepgram.language |
(unset) |
| Encoding | ...deepgram.encoding |
mulaw |
| Sample rate | ...deepgram.sampleRate |
8000 |
| Endpointing | ...deepgram.endpointingMs |
800 |
| Interim results | ...deepgram.interimResults |
true |
{
plugins: {
entries: {
"voice-call": {
config: {
streaming: {
enabled: true,
provider: "deepgram",
providers: {
deepgram: {
apiKey: "${DEEPGRAM_API_KEY}",
model: "nova-3",
endpointingMs: 800,
language: "en-US",
},
},
},
},
},
},
},
}
Notes
Authentication
Authentication follows the standard provider auth order. DEEPGRAM_API_KEY is
the simplest path.
Proxy and custom endpoints
Override endpoints or headers with tools.media.audio.baseUrl and
tools.media.audio.headers when using a proxy.
Output behavior
Output follows the same audio rules as other providers (size caps, timeouts, transcript injection).