Current as of March 2026. GPT-4.1 Nano is where the 4.1 line hits its price floor — $0.10/M input for a full 1M token context window. That’s a remarkable deal for bulk ingestion tasks. The model is not deep, but it doesn’t need to be for the jobs it’s suited for.
Specs
| Provider | OpenAI |
| Input cost | $0.10 / M tokens |
| Output cost | $0.40 / M tokens |
| Context window | 1.0M tokens |
| Max output | 33K tokens |
| Parameters | N/A |
| Features | function_calling, vision |
What it’s good at
Context Value
$0.10/M input for a million-token window lets you skip RAG entirely for many problems and just feed raw data. That architectural simplification has real value when you’re iterating fast.
Tool Use
OpenAI’s function calling consistency extends to the Nano tier. For basic structured outputs and tool invocations, it holds up.
Where it falls short
Shallow Reasoning
The model loses the thread on complex multi-step logic, and context doesn’t help — it can get genuinely confused in the middle of a million-token prompt when asked for precision.
Output Ceiling
33K output is fine for most tasks, but if you need to generate large files or comprehensive documentation in one shot, you’re capped.
Best use cases with OpenClaw
- Repository Auditing — Load an entire project to scan for deprecated patterns or security issues without chunking. The economics make batch processing feasible.
- High-Volume Tagging — Processing millions of log lines or support tickets for classification. At $0.10/M, you can run a lot of rows for almost nothing.
Not ideal for
- Complex Code Logic — Intricate algorithmic problems or niche library syntax will trip this model up. Use GPT-4o or Claude for that.
- Creative Writing — The output is dry. Fine for internal tooling, not suitable for anything user-facing without heavy editing.
Run it through Haimaker
Skip juggling API keys. One Haimaker key gives you access to every model on the platform. Tell OpenClaw:
Add Haimaker as a custom provider to my OpenClaw config. Use these details:
- Provider name: haimaker
- Base URL: https://api.haimaker.ai/v1
- API key: [PASTE YOUR HAIMAKER API KEY HERE]
- API type: openai-completions
Add the auto-router model:
- haimaker/auto (reasoning: false, context: 128000, max tokens: 32000)
Create an alias "auto" for easy switching. Apply the config when done.
Or skip model selection entirely — Haimaker’s auto-router picks the best model for each task so you don’t have to.
OpenClaw setup
Export OPENAI_API_KEY and point to openai/gpt-4.1-nano.
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here"
That’s it. OpenClaw picks up OpenAI models automatically.
How it compares
- vs Claude 3 Haiku — Haiku is faster on short prompts; Nano’s 1M context window is the decisive difference for document-heavy work.
- vs Gemini 1.5 Flash — Flash also hits 1M context at similar pricing; Nano integrates more cleanly with OpenClaw’s default tool-calling setup.
Bottom line
GPT-4.1 Nano is the cheapest path to a million-token context window. For bulk, low-complexity processing, there’s nothing more cost-effective in the OpenAI lineup.
For setup instructions, see our API key guide. For all available models, see the complete models guide.