OpenRouter Integration - LLM CLI Skill

OpenRouter Integration - LLM CLI Skill

Overview

The LLM CLI Skill now includes OpenRouter support, providing unified access to 200+ LLM models from multiple providers through a single API.

What is OpenRouter?

OpenRouter is a routing service that acts as a gateway to multiple LLM providers. Instead of managing separate API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, etc., you can use OpenRouter's single API to access models from all these providers.

Key Benefits

✅ Unified API - One API key for 200+ models ✅ Model Routing - Automatic routing to best available provider ✅ Cost Optimization - Compare prices across providers ✅ Fallback Support - Automatic fallback to alternative models ✅ Single Billing - Consolidated billing across providers ✅ No Need for Multiple Keys - One API key covers all providers

Setup

1. Create OpenRouter Account (Free)

Visit: https://openrouter.ai/

Click "Sign in/Sign up" - choose your preferred auth method (GitHub, Google, Discord, or email)

No credit card required for account creation!

2. Get API Key

1. Go to: https://openrouter.ai/keys
2. Click "Create Key"
3. Give it a name (e.g., "LLM CLI")
4. Copy the key

3. Set Environment Variable

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='sk-or-...'

Or use llm CLI to store it:

llm keys set openrouter

4. Verify Setup

llm models | grep openrouter

Should show available OpenRouter models.

Available Models

The skill includes popular models from multiple providers via OpenRouter:

OpenAI Models

• openrouter-gpt-4o - Latest GPT-4o
• openrouter-gpt-4-turbo - GPT-4 Turbo

Aliases: or-gpt-4o, openai/gpt-4o

Anthropic Models

• openrouter-claude-opus - Claude 3 Opus
• openrouter-claude-sonnet - Claude 3 Sonnet

Aliases: or-claude-opus, anthropic/claude-opus

Meta Llama

• openrouter-llama-3.3-70b - Llama 3.3 70B

Aliases: or-llama-3.3, meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b

Mistral

• openrouter-mistral-large - Mistral Large

Aliases: or-mistral-large, mistralai/mistral-large

More Available

OpenRouter offers access to 200+ models including:

• Qwen, Grok, Llama, Cohere, Aleph Alpha, Baseten, and more
• See full list at: https://openrouter.ai/models

Usage

Direct llm CLI

# Use a specific model
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "Your prompt"

# Use via alias
llm -m or-gpt-4o "Your prompt"

# Use OpenRouter to access GPT-4o
llm -m openai/gpt-4o "Your prompt"

With LLM Skill

# Specific model
/llm "Your prompt" --model openrouter-gpt-4o

# By alias
/llm "Your prompt" --model or-claude-opus

# By provider
/llm "Your prompt" --model openrouter
# Shows menu of available OpenRouter models

File Processing

# Process a file with OpenRouter
cat document.txt | llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "Summarize"

# Analyze code
llm -m or-gpt-4o "Review this code" < main.py

Interactive Mode

# Interactive chat with OpenRouter model
llm -m openrouter-claude-opus --conversation

Pricing

OpenRouter's pay-as-you-go pricing:

View latest pricing at: https://openrouter.ai/pricing

Model Routing

How OpenRouter Routes

1. Direct Model: You request a specific model → OpenRouter routes to that model
2. Fallback: If model unavailable → OpenRouter routes to configured fallback
3. Cost Optimization: Choose cheapest available model with similar capabilities

Request Format

# Specify provider explicitly
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "prompt"

# Or use OpenRouter's routing
llm -m "openai/gpt-4o" "prompt"  # via OpenRouter

Advanced Features

1. Model Fallbacks

OpenRouter supports requesting fallback models. When using via the skill, it handles this transparently.

Example: If you request GPT-4o but it's temporarily unavailable, OpenRouter will use a configured fallback.

2. Route-Based Requests

You can request by provider path:

# These all work via OpenRouter
llm -m "openai/gpt-4o" "prompt"
llm -m "anthropic/claude-opus" "prompt"
llm -m "meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b" "prompt"
llm -m "mistralai/mistral-large" "prompt"

3. Token Counting

OpenRouter provides token counting. Use it to estimate costs:

# Check tokens before making expensive calls
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "long prompt here" --dry-run

Billing & Account Management

View Usage

1. Log in to: https://openrouter.ai/account/usage
2. See real-time usage and costs
3. Track API calls, tokens, and spending

Set Spending Limits

1. Go to: https://openrouter.ai/account/settings
2. Set monthly spending limit
3. Configure alerts

Add Payment Method

1. Account Settings → Billing
2. Add credit card
3. OpenRouter charges based on usage

Comparison: OpenRouter vs Direct APIs

Use Cases

1. Multi-Model Testing

# Test same prompt on different models
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "prompt"
llm -m openrouter-claude-opus "prompt"
llm -m openrouter-llama-3.3-70b "prompt"

# Compare results

2. Cost-Optimized Processing

# Use cheaper model for simple tasks
llm -m openrouter-llama-3.3-70b "Simple question"

# Use premium model for complex tasks
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "Complex analysis"

3. Reliability & Fallback

Use OpenRouter's routing for production workloads:

# Will use fallback if primary model unavailable
llm -m openai/gpt-4o "Critical task"

4. Research & Development

Access cutting-edge models:

# Test latest open models
llm -m openrouter-llama-3.3-70b "innovative prompt"

# Compare with proprietary models
llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "same prompt"

Examples

Text Analysis

llm -m openrouter-claude-opus "Analyze sentiment" < review.txt

Code Generation

llm -m or-gpt-4o "Generate Python function for" < requirements.txt

Translation

echo "Hello world" | llm -m openrouter-mistral-large "Translate to Spanish"

Research Summarization

llm -m or-claude-opus "Summarize key findings" < research_paper.txt

Creative Writing

llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "Write a short story about AI"

Troubleshooting

API Key Not Recognized

# Verify key is set
echo $OPENROUTER_API_KEY

# Should start with: sk-or-...

# If empty, set it again
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='sk-or-...'

# Reload shell
source ~/.zshrc

Model Not Found

# Check available OpenRouter models
llm models | grep openrouter

# Should list available models

Rate Limiting

OpenRouter has rate limits. If exceeded:

• Wait a few minutes
• Use cheaper/lighter models
• Upgrade account for higher limits
• Contact support at: https://openrouter.ai/contact

Authentication Error

1. Verify API key is correct
2. Ensure it starts with sk-or-
3. Check key isn't revoked at: https://openrouter.ai/keys
4. Try creating a new key

FAQ

Q: Do I need to pay upfront? A: No! OpenRouter uses pay-as-you-go pricing. You only pay for what you use.

Q: Can I use free trial? A: Yes! OpenRouter offers free trial credits. Check your account for details.

Q: What if a model is unavailable? A: OpenRouter handles fallback automatically. You can configure fallback preferences.

Q: How fast is OpenRouter? A: OpenRouter adds minimal latency (<100ms). Actual latency depends on the underlying model.

Q: Can I use my OpenRouter key with the regular llm CLI? A: Yes! OpenRouter is fully compatible with standard llm CLI. The skill just makes it easier to manage.

Q: How many requests can I make? A: Depends on your plan. Free tier has reasonable limits. Upgrade for higher limits.

Q: Can I switch between OpenRouter and direct APIs? A: Yes! You can use both simultaneously. Just set multiple API keys.

Integration Details

Files Modified

1. models.py

   • Added 6 OpenRouter models
   • Added openrouter and or provider aliases

2. providers.py

   • Added OPENROUTER_API_KEY detection
   • Updated setup suggestions

Model IDs

OpenRouter uses these model ID formats:

• openai/gpt-4o
• anthropic/claude-3-opus
• meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct
• mistralai/mistral-large

The skill normalizes these to user-friendly names like openrouter-gpt-4o.

Next Steps

1. Get API Key: https://openrouter.ai/keys
2. Set Environment: export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='sk-or-...'
3. Verify: llm models | grep openrouter
4. Start Using: llm -m openrouter-gpt-4o "prompt"

Resources

• OpenRouter Website: https://openrouter.ai
• Pricing: https://openrouter.ai/pricing
• Models: https://openrouter.ai/models
• Documentation: https://openrouter.ai/docs
• Account: https://openrouter.ai/account
• Status: https://openrouter.io/status

Summary

OpenRouter integration enables you to:

• ✅ Access 200+ models via single API
• ✅ Use unified billing and account management
• ✅ Easily switch between providers
• ✅ Benefit from fallback and routing features
• ✅ Optimize costs across models

Recommended: Start with OpenRouter for access to multiple providers, then add direct API keys for models you use frequently!

Status: ✅ Production Ready Last Updated: November 3, 2025 Version: 1.0.0