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MiniMax 401 Diagnostic

Common symptom pattern

This sequence is one possible failure pattern; verify each step from current provider output and worker configuration.

1. AO worker starts → hits MiniMax proxy → proxy returns 401 Unauthorized
2. Claude Code intercepts 401 → shows /login prompt in tmux pane
3. Worker appears to hang ("waiting for input") but is actually blocked on /login
4. tmux capture-pane shows: Please run /login · API Error: 401 or login fail: carry the API secret key in the 'Authorization' field
5. Config shows agent: minimax or model: MiniMax-M2.7 — this alone does not establish the cause

Quick Diagnosis

Step 0 — Plist template check (do this FIRST)

# Check for unsubstituted @VAR@ tokens in the installed plist
# If any exist, bash expands them to empty → 401 on every API call
python3 - "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.agento.lifecycle-all.plist" <<'EOF'
import plistlib, re, sys
content = open(sys.argv[1]).read()
vars = re.findall(r'@[A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*@', content)
if vars:
    print(f'BAD: Unsubstituted tokens: {sorted(set(vars))}')
else:
    print('OK: No unsubstituted @VAR@ tokens')
EOF

# If BAD: re-run setup to regenerate plist with real env vars:
bash scripts/setup-launchd.sh lifecycle
# Then verify:
bash scripts/test-launchd-env.sh

Unsubstituted @VAR@ tokens establish that the plist template was not rendered. Use the repository's launchd setup workflow, then continue diagnosis if the 401 persists.

python3 - "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.agento.lifecycle-all.plist" <<'EOF'
import plistlib, re, sys

with open(sys.argv[1], "rb") as source:
    data = plistlib.load(source)
variables = re.findall(r"@[A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*@", str(data))
key = data.get("EnvironmentVariables", {}).get("MINIMAX_API_KEY", "")
print("BAD: unsubstituted plist template tokens" if variables else "OK: no template tokens")
if key == "__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__":
    print("BAD: MINIMAX_API_KEY is the redacted sentinel")
elif key:
    print("OK: MINIMAX_API_KEY is configured; value not displayed")
else:
    print("BAD: MINIMAX_API_KEY is missing")
EOF

Do not print the plist or retrieve the keychain item's value. For safe credential handling, follow cloud-ops-credential-guard and the repository's launchd setup workflow.

Full Diagnostic Steps

Step 1: Capture the worker's tmux pane

# Find the tmux session for the stuck worker
tmux list-sessions | grep <worker-name>

# Capture the stuck state
tmux capture-pane -pt <session>:0.0 -S -100

Look for: Please run /login, API Error: 401, login fail, MINIMAX_API_KEY

Step 2: Check the plist's MINIMAX_API_KEY without displaying it

python3 - "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.agento.lifecycle-all.plist" <<'EOF'
import plistlib, sys
with open(sys.argv[1], "rb") as source:
    data = plistlib.load(source)
key = data.get("EnvironmentVariables", {}).get("MINIMAX_API_KEY", "")
if key == "__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__":
    print("BAD: redacted sentinel")
elif key:
    print("OK: configured; value not displayed")
else:
    print("BAD: missing")
EOF

Step 3: Check keychain for the real key

# Check presence without leaking credential to terminal
security find-generic-password -s MINIMAX_API_KEY >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Keychain: MINIMAX_API_KEY present" || echo "Keychain: MINIMAX_API_KEY missing"

This check reports presence only. Never retrieve or print the keychain value.

Step 4: Fix — use the repository's launchd setup workflow

# Use the repository's launchd setup to repair the service configuration
bash scripts/setup-launchd.sh lifecycle

Do not copy a credential into a plist or shell variable manually. Follow the repository's launchd setup workflow and the credential-handling rules in cloud-ops-credential-guard.

Step 5: Reload the launchd service

launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u)/ai.agento.lifecycle-all
launchctl bootstrap gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.agento.lifecycle-all.plist
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$(id -u)/ai.agento.lifecycle-all

Step 6: Verify workers recover

sleep 5
pgrep -f "lifecycle-worker" | wc -l  # Should show 12+ workers
tmux list-sessions | grep ao-        # Should show active sessions, not stuck on /login

Verify Before Changing the Model

You might see model: MiniMax-M2.7 in the config and think "just switch to Claude Opus." A model change does not establish or repair the cause of an authentication error. First:

1. Verify that the current provider response is a 401 and identify which route returned it.
2. Confirm the active worker configuration and credential-presence status without displaying credential values.
3. Change model routing only when the current configuration and provider evidence show it is the cause.

Anti-Patterns

• WRONG: ao spawn --agent codex to "fix" the 401 — masks the symptom, wrong model for the task
• WRONG: export MINIMAX_API_KEY=... in a running shell — doesn't fix the launchd service's env
• WRONG: Changing model in agent-orchestrator.yaml without evidence that routing is the cause
• WRONG: Killing and respawning the worker without fixing the plist — it will hit the same 401 immediately

Recurring Incident History

Date	Worker	Manifestation	Root Cause
2026-04-15	PRs #454, #453, #452, #450, #444	5 PRs stuck with 401	__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__ in plist
2026-05-01	ao-4449 (PR #511)	/login + 401, stuck at "Brewed for 3m 13s"	__OPENCLAW_REDACTED__ in plist

Files to Check

• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.agento.lifecycle-all.plist — MINIMAX_API_KEY value
• scripts/setup-launchd.sh — how MINIMAX_API_KEY is substituted into the plist
• ~/.hermes_prod/config.yaml — MiniMax credential source

Claim Class

This skill covers a recurring credential-related failure pattern. Verify the current error and active configuration before applying its remediation.