# Openrouter Free Responder

> Zero-cost OpenRouter responder that auto-discovers the best currently free model, retries on failures, and returns clean answers fast. Use this when a user asks to query OpenRouter, wants lowest-cost/free model routing, or explicitly requests a free-model OpenRouter response.

- Skill: `modbender/openrouter-free-responder` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add modbender/openrouter-free-responder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/modbender/openrouter-free-responder/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: modbender (https://skillmd.com/u/modbender)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/modbender/openrouter-free-responder

---


Use the bundled script to execute prompts against free OpenRouter models.

## Workflow

1. Ensure `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` is set.
2. Run:
   ```bash
   python3 {baseDir}/scripts/openrouter_free_chat.py --prompt "<user prompt>"
   ```
3. If the user provided system guidance, pass `--system "..."`.
4. Return the `response` text and mention which model was used.

## Command Options

- `--prompt` (required): User prompt text.
- `--system` (optional): System instruction.
- `--max-attempts` (optional, default `8`): Number of top free models to try.
- `--temperature` (optional, default `0.3`): Sampling temperature.
- `--debug` (optional): Print model ranking and fallback attempts to stderr.

## Output Contract

The script prints one JSON object to stdout with:

- `selected_model`: Model that produced the final response.
- `response`: Final assistant text.
- `attempted_models`: Ordered list of tried models.
- `free_model_candidates`: Number of free models discovered.

If no model succeeds, the script exits non-zero with an error message.