OpenRouter

OpenRouter is an API gateway that gives you access to multiple AI models from different providers through a single API key. Instead of managing separate accounts with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and others, you can use one OpenRouter key to access all of them.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create an OpenRouter Account

1. Go to openrouter.ai.
2. Click Sign up — you can use Google, GitHub, or email.

2. Add Credits

1. Go to your account settings or the Credits page.
2. Add credits via credit card. OpenRouter uses a pay-as-you-go model — you are charged based on actual usage.

No minimum purchase

OpenRouter does not require a large upfront purchase. You can start with a small amount and add more as needed.

3. Create an API Key

1. Go to API Keys (or visit openrouter.ai/keys).
2. Click Create Key.
3. Give it a name (e.g., openclaw-host).
4. Copy the key immediately.

4. Connect to OpenClaw Host

1. Open your OpenClaw Dashboard.
2. Go to Instance > Integrations tab.
3. Find the OpenRouter card and click Connect.
4. Paste your API key into the field.
5. Click Save.

Your instance will now use OpenRouter as its AI provider.

Why Use OpenRouter?

One key, many models

With a single OpenRouter API key, you can access models from:

• Anthropic — Claude Sonnet, Claude Opus, Claude Haiku
• OpenAI — GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, o3
• Google — Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Flash
• Meta — Llama 4 Maverick, Llama 4 Scout
• Mistral — Mistral Large, Codestral
• DeepSeek — DeepSeek-V3, DeepSeek-R1
• And many more open-source and proprietary models

Automatic fallbacks

If one model or provider is temporarily down, OpenRouter can automatically route your request to an alternative, keeping your agent running.

Unified billing

Instead of tracking credits across five different provider dashboards, you get a single bill from OpenRouter.

Great for experimentation

If you are not sure which AI model works best for your use case, OpenRouter lets you try different models without creating separate accounts everywhere. Switch models in your OpenClaw configuration and your existing API key keeps working.

Key Details

Detail	Value
API format	OpenAI-compatible
Base URL	https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
Billing	Pay-as-you-go (provider cost + small margin)
Model selection	200+ models available

Pricing transparency

OpenRouter shows the per-token cost for each model on their website. The prices include a small margin on top of the provider's direct pricing. For most users, the convenience of a single key and unified billing outweighs the small premium.