How to connect provider without API key?

[inbev92]

Hello. There are providers on the platform that can be connected without an API key. For example Puter AI. How can I connect it without an API key if OmniRoute requires an API key?

[diegosouzapw]

Hey @inbev92!

Great question! For providers that do not require an API key (like Puter AI, Pollinations, and other free providers), you can simply enter any placeholder text in the API key field -- for example, just type free or placeholder.

OmniRoute handles the actual authentication internally for these providers. The API key field in the UI is required by the form, but the executor for free providers does not actually send it upstream.

Here is the step-by-step:

1. Go to Dashboard -> Providers -> Add Provider
2. Select Puter AI (or any free provider)
3. In the API Key field, enter any string (e.g., free)
4. Click Save
5. The provider will connect and work without any real API key

You can verify it is working by going to the Health page in the dashboard -- the provider should show a green status.

Let me know if you run into any issues!

[inbev92]

Hello @diegosouzapw !
Thank you for such a detailed answer!Before creating the question, I tested the connection with session keys. Now I tried to write 'free' and got an error.

[inbev92]

This problem with Puter only. Pollination connected.

[inbev92]

@diegosouzapw any updates?

[diegosouzapw]

Hey @inbev92! Sorry for the lag. You are right -- Puter is the odd one out among free providers. After your report I checked: Puter recently moved to a per-session token model (puter.com issues a JWT to logged-in browser sessions), and the old "no-auth API" endpoint is now gated. Pollinations still works because they never added auth at all.

Current state:

• Pollinations: works with any placeholder (free, placeholder, etc.) -- confirmed by you.
• Puter: needs a Puter web-session token now. Steps: login to https://puter.com -> F12 -> Application -> Local Storage -> copy the value of puter.auth.token -> paste in the API Key field.

I will update docs/reference/PROVIDER_REFERENCE.md to reflect this change and add a tooltip on the Puter add-provider screen. Until then, the localStorage token is the path. If that also fails (Puter rotates accounts more aggressively than other free providers), let me know and I will mark Puter as deprecated in the catalog.