# 2068 Openai API Routing 3626ac97 > OpenAI API Routing and Proxy Patterns - Skill: `tools-only/2068-openai-api-routing-3626ac97` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tools-only/2068-openai-api-routing-3626ac97` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tools-only/2068-openai-api-routing-3626ac97/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Integrations & APIs - Author: tools-only (https://skillmd.com/u/tools-only) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tools-only/2068-openai-api-routing-3626ac97 --- # OpenAI API Routing and Proxy Patterns voice-mode uses the OpenAI SDK, which means you can redirect all API traffic through a custom router using the standard `OPENAI_BASE_URL` environment variable - no voice-mode specific code or configuration needed. ## Why OpenAI API Compatibility Matters By using only standard OpenAI endpoints, voice-mode becomes a simple API client that can work with any OpenAI-compatible service. This design enables: 1. **Service Agnostic**: Works with OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, local services, or any compatible API 2. **Simple Configuration**: Just change the `BASE_URL` environment variable 3. **External Control**: All routing logic lives outside voice-mode 4. **Future Proof**: New providers can be added without code changes ## Routing Patterns ### 1. Simple Proxy with Fallback ```nginx # nginx configuration example upstream openai_primary { server api.openai.com:443; } upstream openai_fallback { server 127.0.0.1:8880; # Local Kokoro TTS } location /v1/audio/speech { proxy_pass https://openai_primary; proxy_intercept_errors on; error_page 502 503 504 = @fallback; } location @fallback { proxy_pass http://openai_fallback; } ``` ### 2. Cost-Optimized Router ```python # Python routing proxy example from fastapi import FastAPI, Request import httpx app = FastAPI() @app.post("/v1/audio/speech") async def route_tts(request: Request): body = await request.json() # Route based on model if body.get("model") == "tts-1": # Use local Kokoro for standard TTS async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client: return await client.post( "http://127.0.0.1:8880/v1/audio/speech", json=body ) else: # Use OpenAI for advanced models async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client: return await client.post( "https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/speech", json=body, headers={"Authorization": request.headers.get("Authorization")} ) ``` ### 3. Voice-Specific Routing ```javascript // Node.js Express router app.post('/v1/audio/speech', async (req, res) => { const { voice, model } = req.body; // Route Sky voice to Kokoro, others to OpenAI if (voice === 'af_sky') { const response = await fetch('http://127.0.0.1:8880/v1/audio/speech', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ ...req.body, model: 'kokoro-v0.87' }) }); res.send(await response.arrayBuffer()); } else { // Forward to OpenAI const response = await fetch('https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/speech', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'Authorization': req.headers.authorization }, body: JSON.stringify(req.body) }); res.send(await response.arrayBuffer()); } }); ``` ### 4. Load Balancer with Health Checks ```yaml # HAProxy configuration global maxconn 4096 defaults timeout connect 5000ms timeout client 50000ms timeout server 50000ms backend tts_servers balance roundrobin option httpchk GET /health server openai api.openai.com:443 ssl verify none check server kokoro1 127.0.0.1:8880 check server kokoro2 127.0.0.1:8881 check backup ``` ## Configuration ### Simple Global Routing The easiest approach is to use the OpenAI SDK's built-in support: ```bash # Route ALL OpenAI API calls through your proxy export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://router.example.com/v1" export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key" ``` That's it! The OpenAI SDK automatically uses this base URL for all API calls. **Note**: If `STT_BASE_URL` or `TTS_BASE_URL` are not explicitly set, voice-mode defaults to using the OpenAI API. When `OPENAI_BASE_URL` is set, the OpenAI SDK will use it automatically for these default cases. ### Provider-Specific Routing For more granular control, voice-mode also supports provider-specific endpoints: ```bash # Use different endpoints for STT and TTS export STT_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:2022/v1" # Local Whisper export TTS_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8880/v1" # Local Kokoro ``` Your router receives all requests and can then: - Route to different providers - Add authentication - Log requests - Implement rate limiting - Cache responses - Transform requests/responses ## Benefits 1. **Zero Code Changes**: voice-mode doesn't need to know about routing logic 2. **Centralized Control**: Manage all API routing in one place 3. **Dynamic Switching**: Change routing rules without restarting voice-mode 4. **Multi-Service**: One router can handle STT, TTS, and other OpenAI APIs 5. **Monitoring**: Add metrics, logging, and observability at the proxy layer ## Example: LiteLLM Proxy [LiteLLM](https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm) provides a ready-made proxy for OpenAI-compatible routing: ```bash # Install LiteLLM pip install litellm[proxy] # Configure proxy cat > litellm_config.yaml << EOF model_list: - model_name: tts-1 litellm_params: model: openai/tts-1 api_key: $OPENAI_API_KEY - model_name: whisper-1 litellm_params: model: openai/whisper-1 api_key: $OPENAI_API_KEY EOF # Start proxy litellm --config litellm_config.yaml --port 9000 # Configure voice-mode export TTS_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:9000" export STT_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:9000" ``` This architecture ensures voice-mode remains simple while enabling sophisticated deployment patterns through external routing layers.