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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.

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CLI setup

openclaw onboard --auth-choice openrouter-api-key

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Config snippet

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

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Notes

  • Model refs are openrouter/<provider>/<model>.
  • Onboarding defaults to openrouter/auto. Switch to a concrete model later with openclaw models set openrouter/<provider>/<model>.
  • For more model/provider options, see /concepts/model-providers.
  • 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: HTTP-Referer: https://openclaw.ai, X-OpenRouter-Title: OpenClaw, and X-OpenRouter-Categories: cli-agent.
  • On verified OpenRouter routes, Anthropic model refs also keep the OpenRouter-specific Anthropic cache_control markers that OpenClaw uses for better prompt-cache reuse on system/developer prompt blocks.
  • If you repoint the OpenRouter provider at some other proxy/base URL, OpenClaw does not inject those OpenRouter-specific headers or Anthropic cache markers.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • If you pass OpenRouter provider routing under model params, OpenClaw forwards it as OpenRouter routing metadata before the shared stream wrappers run.