September 23, 2026
OpenClaw will sort out messages itself: decision model will choose steer or queue
On September 23, OpenClaw said its next version would automatically choose between steer and queue for new messages. The decision model assesses the task separately from the chat model and does not respond to the user itself.
Peter Steinberger 🦞
@steipete
In the next version, OpenClaw will use a decision model to automatically decide: steer or queue. A Labs feature. We support Jef*, API-compatible models such as local models like Kef..., and ONNX options.
· 51.3K views
When the agent is busy, steer attempts to inject a message into the current work, while followup waits for the next turn. The default queue has a 500 ms delay, a 20-message cap, and discards summarize.
A local option. ONNX requires a checkout with `extensions/onnx`: `pnpm install --frozen-lockfile`, `pnpm build`, then download `gliclass-edge-v3.0`. The plugin runs in a persistent Node process on CPU, while the current opt-in `decisionAssistance` in Labs is not yet connected to automatic selection.
Automatic selection between steer and queue is expected in the next version of OpenClaw.
Source
