---
summary: "Generate music with shared providers, including workflow-backed plugins"
read_when:
  - Generating music or audio via the agent
  - Configuring music generation providers and models
  - Understanding the music_generate tool parameters
title: "Music Generation"
---

# Music Generation

The `music_generate` tool lets the agent create music or audio through the
shared music-generation capability with configured providers such as Google,
MiniMax, and workflow-configured ComfyUI.

For shared provider-backed agent sessions, OpenClaw starts music generation as a
background task, tracks it in the task ledger, then wakes the agent again when
the track is ready so the agent can post the finished audio back into the
original channel.

<Note>
The built-in shared tool only appears when at least one music-generation provider is available. If you don't see `music_generate` in your agent's tools, configure `agents.defaults.musicGenerationModel` or set up a provider API key.
</Note>

## Quick start

### Shared provider-backed generation

1. Set an API key for at least one provider, for example `GEMINI_API_KEY` or
   `MINIMAX_API_KEY`.
2. Optionally set your preferred model:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      musicGenerationModel: {
        primary: "google/lyria-3-clip-preview",
      },
    },
  },
}
```

3. Ask the agent: _"Generate an upbeat synthpop track about a night drive
   through a neon city."_

The agent calls `music_generate` automatically. No tool allow-listing needed.

For direct synchronous contexts without a session-backed agent run, the built-in
tool still falls back to inline generation and returns the final media path in
the tool result.

Example prompts:

```text
Generate a cinematic piano track with soft strings and no vocals.
```

```text
Generate an energetic chiptune loop about launching a rocket at sunrise.
```

### Workflow-driven Comfy generation

The bundled `comfy` plugin plugs into the shared `music_generate` tool through
the music-generation provider registry.

1. Configure `models.providers.comfy.music` with a workflow JSON and
   prompt/output nodes.
2. If you use Comfy Cloud, set `COMFY_API_KEY` or `COMFY_CLOUD_API_KEY`.
3. Ask the agent for music or call the tool directly.

Example:

```text
/tool music_generate prompt="Warm ambient synth loop with soft tape texture"
```

## Shared bundled provider support

| Provider | Default model          | Reference inputs | Supported controls                                        | API key                                |
| -------- | ---------------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| ComfyUI  | `workflow`             | Up to 1 image    | Workflow-defined music or audio                           | `COMFY_API_KEY`, `COMFY_CLOUD_API_KEY` |
| Google   | `lyria-3-clip-preview` | Up to 10 images  | `lyrics`, `instrumental`, `format`                        | `GEMINI_API_KEY`, `GOOGLE_API_KEY`     |
| MiniMax  | `music-2.5+`           | None             | `lyrics`, `instrumental`, `durationSeconds`, `format=mp3` | `MINIMAX_API_KEY`                      |

### Declared capability matrix

This is the explicit mode contract used by `music_generate`, contract tests,
and the shared live sweep.

| Provider | `generate` | `edit` | Edit limit | Shared live lanes                                                         |
| -------- | ---------- | ------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| ComfyUI  | Yes        | Yes    | 1 image    | Not in the shared sweep; covered by `extensions/comfy/comfy.live.test.ts` |
| Google   | Yes        | Yes    | 10 images  | `generate`, `edit`                                                        |
| MiniMax  | Yes        | No     | None       | `generate`                                                                |

Use `action: "list"` to inspect available shared providers and models at
runtime:

```text
/tool music_generate action=list
```

Use `action: "status"` to inspect the active session-backed music task:

```text
/tool music_generate action=status
```

Direct generation example:

```text
/tool music_generate prompt="Dreamy lo-fi hip hop with vinyl texture and gentle rain" instrumental=true
```

## Built-in tool parameters

| Parameter         | Type     | Description                                                                                       |
| ----------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `prompt`          | string   | Music generation prompt (required for `action: "generate"`)                                       |
| `action`          | string   | `"generate"` (default), `"status"` for the current session task, or `"list"` to inspect providers |
| `model`           | string   | Provider/model override, e.g. `google/lyria-3-pro-preview` or `comfy/workflow`                    |
| `lyrics`          | string   | Optional lyrics when the provider supports explicit lyric input                                   |
| `instrumental`    | boolean  | Request instrumental-only output when the provider supports it                                    |
| `image`           | string   | Single reference image path or URL                                                                |
| `images`          | string[] | Multiple reference images (up to 10)                                                              |
| `durationSeconds` | number   | Target duration in seconds when the provider supports duration hints                              |
| `format`          | string   | Output format hint (`mp3` or `wav`) when the provider supports it                                 |
| `filename`        | string   | Output filename hint                                                                              |

Not all providers support all parameters. OpenClaw still validates hard limits
such as input counts before submission. When a provider supports duration but
uses a shorter maximum than the requested value, OpenClaw automatically clamps
to the closest supported duration. Truly unsupported optional hints are ignored
with a warning when the selected provider or model cannot honor them.

Tool results report the applied settings. When OpenClaw clamps duration during provider fallback, the returned `durationSeconds` reflects the submitted value and `details.normalization.durationSeconds` shows the requested-to-applied mapping.

## Async behavior for the shared provider-backed path

- Session-backed agent runs: `music_generate` creates a background task, returns a started/task response immediately, and posts the finished track later in a follow-up agent message.
- Duplicate prevention: while that background task is still `queued` or `running`, later `music_generate` calls in the same session return task status instead of starting another generation.
- Status lookup: use `action: "status"` to inspect the active session-backed music task without starting a new one.
- Task tracking: use `openclaw tasks list` or `openclaw tasks show <taskId>` to inspect queued, running, and terminal status for the generation.
- Completion wake: OpenClaw injects an internal completion event back into the same session so the model can write the user-facing follow-up itself.
- Prompt hint: later user/manual turns in the same session get a small runtime hint when a music task is already in flight so the model does not blindly call `music_generate` again.
- No-session fallback: direct/local contexts without a real agent session still run inline and return the final audio result in the same turn.

### Task lifecycle

Each `music_generate` request moves through four states:

1. **queued** -- task created, waiting for the provider to accept it.
2. **running** -- provider is processing (typically 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on provider and duration).
3. **succeeded** -- track ready; the agent wakes and posts it to the conversation.
4. **failed** -- provider error or timeout; the agent wakes with error details.

Check status from the CLI:

```bash
openclaw tasks list
openclaw tasks show <taskId>
openclaw tasks cancel <taskId>
```

Duplicate prevention: if a music task is already `queued` or `running` for the current session, `music_generate` returns the existing task status instead of starting a new one. Use `action: "status"` to check explicitly without triggering a new generation.

## Configuration

### Model selection

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      musicGenerationModel: {
        primary: "google/lyria-3-clip-preview",
        fallbacks: ["minimax/music-2.5+"],
      },
    },
  },
}
```

### Provider selection order

When generating music, OpenClaw tries providers in this order:

1. `model` parameter from the tool call, if the agent specifies one
2. `musicGenerationModel.primary` from config
3. `musicGenerationModel.fallbacks` in order
4. Auto-detection using auth-backed provider defaults only:
   - current default provider first
   - remaining registered music-generation providers in provider-id order

If a provider fails, the next candidate is tried automatically. If all fail, the
error includes details from each attempt.

Set `agents.defaults.mediaGenerationAutoProviderFallback: false` if you want
music generation to use only the explicit `model`, `primary`, and `fallbacks`
entries.

## Provider notes

- Google uses Lyria 3 batch generation. The current bundled flow supports
  prompt, optional lyrics text, and optional reference images.
- MiniMax uses the batch `music_generation` endpoint. The current bundled flow
  supports prompt, optional lyrics, instrumental mode, duration steering, and
  mp3 output.
- ComfyUI support is workflow-driven and depends on the configured graph plus
  node mapping for prompt/output fields.

## Provider capability modes

The shared music-generation contract now supports explicit mode declarations:

- `generate` for prompt-only generation
- `edit` when the request includes one or more reference images

New provider implementations should prefer explicit mode blocks:

```typescript
capabilities: {
  generate: {
    maxTracks: 1,
    supportsLyrics: true,
    supportsFormat: true,
  },
  edit: {
    enabled: true,
    maxTracks: 1,
    maxInputImages: 1,
    supportsFormat: true,
  },
}
```

Legacy flat fields such as `maxInputImages`, `supportsLyrics`, and
`supportsFormat` are not enough to advertise edit support. Providers should
declare `generate` and `edit` explicitly so live tests, contract tests, and
the shared `music_generate` tool can validate mode support deterministically.

## Choosing the right path

- Use the shared provider-backed path when you want model selection, provider failover, and the built-in async task/status flow.
- Use a plugin path such as ComfyUI when you need a custom workflow graph or a provider that is not part of the shared bundled music capability.
- If you are debugging ComfyUI-specific behavior, see [ComfyUI](/providers/comfy). If you are debugging shared provider behavior, start with [Google (Gemini)](/providers/google) or [MiniMax](/providers/minimax).

## Live tests

Opt-in live coverage for the shared bundled providers:

```bash
OPENCLAW_LIVE_TEST=1 pnpm test:live -- extensions/music-generation-providers.live.test.ts
```

Repo wrapper:

```bash
pnpm test:live:media music
```

This live file loads missing provider env vars from `~/.profile`, prefers
live/env API keys ahead of stored auth profiles by default, and runs both
`generate` and declared `edit` coverage when the provider enables edit mode.

Today that means:

- `google`: `generate` plus `edit`
- `minimax`: `generate` only
- `comfy`: separate Comfy live coverage, not the shared provider sweep

Opt-in live coverage for the bundled ComfyUI music path:

```bash
OPENCLAW_LIVE_TEST=1 COMFY_LIVE_TEST=1 pnpm test:live -- extensions/comfy/comfy.live.test.ts
```

The Comfy live file also covers comfy image and video workflows when those
sections are configured.

## Related

- [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks) - task tracking for detached `music_generate` runs
- [Configuration Reference](/gateway/configuration-reference#agent-defaults) - `musicGenerationModel` config
- [ComfyUI](/providers/comfy)
- [Google (Gemini)](/providers/google)
- [MiniMax](/providers/minimax)
- [Models](/concepts/models) - model configuration and failover
- [Tools Overview](/tools)
