Ask HN: What models do you use for your OpenClaw so that skills work well

Question for anyone using OpenClaw (or similar) agents daily.

I've been writing new skills for my OpenClaw setup and keep running into the same thing: strong models (like Opus 4.6) do great even with complex skills, but if my OpenRouter switches to a smaller model, things just don't hold up as I have to constantly follow up, give further instructions, etc.

Using bigger models constantly (via API credit top-ups) could get quite expensive.

Are there any smaller models that do well with skills?

Or maybe self-hosting models with Ollama?