openclaw/docs/providers/openrouter.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Use OpenRouter's unified API to access many models in OpenClaw	You want a single API key for many LLMs You want to run models via OpenRouter in OpenClaw You want to use OpenRouter for image generation You want to use OpenRouter for video generation	OpenRouter

OpenRouter provides a unified API that routes requests to many models behind a single endpoint and API key. It is OpenAI-compatible, so most OpenAI SDKs work by switching the base URL.

Getting started

Create an API key at [openrouter.ai/keys](https://openrouter.ai/keys). ```bash openclaw onboard --auth-choice openrouter-api-key ``` Onboarding defaults to `openrouter/auto`. Pick a concrete model later:

```bash
openclaw models set openrouter/<provider>/<model>
```

Config example

{
  env: { OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "openrouter/auto" },
    },
  },
}

Model references

Model refs follow the pattern `openrouter//`. For the full list of available providers and models, see [/concepts/model-providers](/concepts/model-providers).

Bundled fallback examples:

Model ref	Notes
openrouter/auto	OpenRouter automatic routing
openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k2.6	Kimi K2.6 via MoonshotAI

Image generation

OpenRouter can also back the image_generate tool. Use an OpenRouter image model under agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel:

{
  env: { OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      imageGenerationModel: {
        primary: "openrouter/google/gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview",
        timeoutMs: 180_000,
      },
    },
  },
}

OpenClaw sends image requests to OpenRouter's chat completions image API with modalities: ["image", "text"]. Gemini image models receive supported aspectRatio and resolution hints through OpenRouter's image_config. Use agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel.timeoutMs for slower OpenRouter image models; the image_generate tool's per-call timeoutMs parameter still wins.

Video generation

OpenRouter can also back the video_generate tool through its asynchronous /videos API. Use an OpenRouter video model under agents.defaults.videoGenerationModel:

{
  env: { OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      videoGenerationModel: {
        primary: "openrouter/google/veo-3.1-fast",
      },
    },
  },
}

OpenClaw submits text-to-video and image-to-video jobs to OpenRouter, polls the returned polling_url, and downloads the completed video from OpenRouter's unsigned_urls or the documented job content endpoint. Reference images are sent as first/last frame images by default; images tagged with reference_image are sent as OpenRouter input references. The bundled google/veo-3.1-fast default advertises the currently supported 4/6/8 second durations, 720P/1080P resolutions, and 16:9/9:16 aspect ratios. Video-to-video is not registered for OpenRouter because the upstream video generation API currently accepts text and image references.

Text-to-speech

OpenRouter can also be used as a TTS provider through its OpenAI-compatible /audio/speech endpoint.

{
  messages: {
    tts: {
      auto: "always",
      provider: "openrouter",
      providers: {
        openrouter: {
          model: "hexgrad/kokoro-82m",
          voice: "af_alloy",
          responseFormat: "mp3",
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

If messages.tts.providers.openrouter.apiKey is omitted, TTS reuses models.providers.openrouter.apiKey, then OPENROUTER_API_KEY.

Authentication and headers

OpenRouter uses a Bearer token with your API key under the hood.

On real OpenRouter requests (https://openrouter.ai/api/v1), OpenClaw also adds OpenRouter's documented app-attribution headers:

Header	Value
HTTP-Referer	https://openclaw.ai
X-OpenRouter-Title	OpenClaw
X-OpenRouter-Categories	cli-agent,cloud-agent,programming-app,creative-writing,writing-assistant,general-chat,personal-agent

If you repoint the OpenRouter provider at some other proxy or base URL, OpenClaw does **not** inject those OpenRouter-specific headers or Anthropic cache markers.

Advanced configuration

OpenRouter response caching is opt-in. Enable it per OpenRouter model with model params:

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openrouter/auto": {
          params: {
            responseCache: true,
            responseCacheTtlSeconds: 300,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

OpenClaw sends `X-OpenRouter-Cache: true` and, when configured,
`X-OpenRouter-Cache-TTL`. `responseCacheClear: true` forces a refresh for
the current request and stores the replacement response. Snake_case aliases
(`response_cache`, `response_cache_ttl_seconds`, and
`response_cache_clear`) are also accepted.

This is separate from provider prompt caching and from OpenRouter's
Anthropic `cache_control` markers. It is only applied on verified
`openrouter.ai` routes, not custom proxy base URLs.

On verified OpenRouter routes, Anthropic model refs keep the OpenRouter-specific Anthropic `cache_control` markers that OpenClaw uses for better prompt-cache reuse on system/developer prompt blocks. On verified OpenRouter routes, Anthropic model refs with reasoning enabled drop trailing assistant prefill turns before the request reaches OpenRouter, matching Anthropic's requirement that reasoning conversations end with a user turn. On supported non-`auto` routes, OpenClaw maps the selected thinking level to OpenRouter proxy reasoning payloads. Unsupported model hints and `openrouter/auto` skip that reasoning injection. Hunter Alpha also skips proxy reasoning for stale configured model refs because OpenRouter could return final answer text in reasoning fields for that retired route. On verified OpenRouter routes, `openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash` and `openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro` fill missing `reasoning_content` on replayed assistant turns so thinking/tool conversations keep DeepSeek V4's required follow-up shape. OpenClaw sends OpenRouter-supported `reasoning_effort` values for these routes; `xhigh` is the highest advertised level, and stale `max` overrides are mapped to `xhigh`. OpenRouter still runs through the proxy-style OpenAI-compatible path, so native OpenAI-only request shaping such as `serviceTier`, Responses `store`, OpenAI reasoning-compat payloads, and prompt-cache hints is not forwarded. Gemini-backed OpenRouter refs stay on the proxy-Gemini path: OpenClaw keeps Gemini thought-signature sanitation there, but does not enable native Gemini replay validation or bootstrap rewrites. If you pass OpenRouter provider routing under model params, OpenClaw forwards it as OpenRouter routing metadata before the shared stream wrappers run.

Related

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior. Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.