What Is the Transport Budget for OpenClaw with Distilly? A Complete Guide

The transport budget for OpenClaw with Distilly defaults to "budget-friendly" for cost-efficient execution, but can be explicitly switched to "budget-unfriendly" for deeper, compute-intensive research pipelines.

Distilly defines the transport budget through research profiles that control compute allocation when skills run through OpenClaw. These profiles determine whether the system executes a lightweight three-track flow or a comprehensive six-track validation pipeline, directly impacting latency and token consumption.

Understanding the Two Transport Budget Profiles

Distilly implements a dual-profile system that governs how OpenClaw allocates computational resources during skill execution.

Budget-Friendly Profile (Default)

The budget-friendly profile minimizes tool-calling steps to deliver faster, cost-effective results. This profile runs the standard three-track flow and serves as the default transport budget for all Distilly skills unless explicitly overridden. According to the source code in tools/skill_presets.py (line 20), this is set via the DEFAULT_RESEARCH_PROFILE constant, making it the automatic selection for typical queries.

Budget-Unfriendly Profile

The budget-unfriendly profile executes a rigorous four-stage pipeline: research → audit → synthesis → validation. This expanded workflow maps to the six-track flow described in SKILL.md (lines 415-523) and consumes significantly more compute resources. This profile activates when users demand higher confidence levels or explicitly request deeper investigation capabilities.

How the Transport Budget Is Configured in Code

The transport budget mechanism spans three critical components in the Distilly repository:

1. Profile Definitions (tools/skill_presets.py): Line 20 establishes budget-friendly as the DEFAULT_RESEARCH_PROFILE, while the file maintains preset dictionaries defining parameters for both budget profiles.

2. Manifest Propagation (tools/skill_writer.py): When generating skill manifests, this module inserts the selected research profile into the JSON configuration (lines 555-563), ensuring OpenClaw receives the correct budget instructions at runtime.

3. Pipeline Execution Logic (SKILL.md): The documentation at lines 102-105 distinguishes between the budget-friendly three-track flow and the budget-unfriendly six-track flow (referencing the "celebrity" sections), detailing exactly how each profile maps to specific validation tracks.

Setting the Transport Budget in Practice

Override the default transport budget using command-line flags or manifest configuration:

# Install with default budget-friendly profile

python3 tools/install_openclaw_skill.py --force

# Explicitly request high-compute budget-unfriendly execution

distilly run --skill celebrity --research-profile budget-unfriendly

For programmatic control within skill manifests:

{
    "research_profile": "budget-unfriendly",
    "toolchain": {
        "quality_profile": "budget-unfriendly"
    }
}

The tools/install_openclaw_skill.py script respects these profile settings when deploying Distilly skills into OpenClaw workspaces, ensuring the transport budget propagates correctly through the installation pipeline.

Summary

• Default Behavior: OpenClaw uses the budget-friendly transport budget automatically, defined in tools/skill_presets.py at line 20.
• Profile Options: Two profiles exist—budget-friendly (three-track, low cost) and budget-unfriendly (six-track with validation stages).
• Switching Modes: Users activate the expensive profile via --research-profile budget-unfriendly CLI flags or explicit manifest configuration.
• Implementation Path: The budget flows from skill_presets.py → skill_writer.py (lines 555-563) → OpenClaw pipeline execution as documented in SKILL.md.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default transport budget for OpenClaw with Distilly?

The default transport budget is budget-friendly, as implemented in tools/skill_presets.py via the DEFAULT_RESEARCH_PROFILE constant at line 20. This setting automatically applies to all skill executions unless the user explicitly requests otherwise.

How do I switch to the budget-unfriendly transport budget?

Pass the --research-profile budget-unfriendly flag when running a skill via CLI, or set "research_profile": "budget-unfriendly" in the skill's manifest JSON. This triggers the six-track validation pipeline instead of the standard three-track flow.

Where is the transport budget logic defined in the Distilly source code?

The primary definitions reside in three files: tools/skill_presets.py (default constants), tools/skill_writer.py (manifest injection at lines 555-563), and SKILL.md (pipeline specification at lines 102-105 and 415-523).

What is the difference between the three-track and six-track flows?

The three-track flow (budget-friendly) executes minimal validation steps for speed and cost efficiency. The six-track flow (budget-unfriendly) runs comprehensive stages including research, audit, synthesis, and validation, providing higher confidence results at significantly higher computational cost.

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    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
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}