# Openrouter Routing Rules

> Define custom routing rules for OpenRouter requests. Use when implementing complex routing logic beyond simple model selection. Trigger with phrases like 'openrouter rules', 'routing rules', 'custom routing', 'openrouter request routing'.

- Skill: `micsapp/openrouter-routing-rules` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 8 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add micsapp/openrouter-routing-rules`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/micsapp/openrouter-routing-rules/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- License: MIT
- Author: micsapp (https://skillmd.com/u/micsapp)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/micsapp/openrouter-routing-rules

---

# Openrouter Routing Rules

## Overview

This skill shows how to implement rule-based routing that dynamically selects models based on prompt content, user tier, cost constraints, or time-of-day patterns.

## Prerequisites

- OpenRouter integration with multiple models configured
- Routing requirements defined (by user tier, task type, cost, etc.)

## Instructions

1. **Define routing dimensions**: Identify the factors that should influence model selection — user tier (free/paid), task type (chat/code/analysis), cost budget, latency requirement
2. **Build a rules engine**: Create a configuration-driven rules engine where each rule has conditions (e.g., `user.tier == "free"`) and actions (e.g., `model = "google/gemma-2-9b-it:free"`)
3. **Implement rule evaluation**: Process rules in priority order; the first matching rule determines the model; always include a default/catch-all rule
4. **Add dynamic rules**: Support rules that query real-time data (current cost, model availability, error rates) to make routing decisions
5. **Test with rule scenarios**: Write test cases for each rule to verify correct model selection under different conditions

## Output

- A configurable rules engine that selects models based on multiple dimensions
- Rule configuration file (JSON/YAML) that can be updated without code changes
- Test suite validating each routing rule produces the correct model selection

## Error Handling

| Error | Cause | Fix |
|-------|-------|-----|
| No rule matched | Conditions don't cover all cases | Always include a default catch-all rule at the end |
| Rule evaluation error | Dynamic rule query failed (e.g., cost API timeout) | Add fallback values for dynamic data; never block on rule evaluation |
| Wrong model selected | Rule priority order incorrect | Add logging to show which rule matched and why; review priority ordering |

See `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/errors.md` for full error reference.

## Examples

See `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/examples.md` for runnable code samples.

## Resources

- [OpenRouter Documentation](https://openrouter.ai/docs)
- [OpenRouter Models](https://openrouter.ai/models)
- [OpenRouter API Reference](https://openrouter.ai/docs/api-reference)
- [OpenRouter Status](https://status.openrouter.ai)