Providers Guide

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Providers Guide: Connect AI Models to OmniRoute

TL;DR: A provider is a connection to an AI service (like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google). You need at least one provider to use OmniRoute.

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What Is a Provider?

Think of a provider like a phone carrier. Just as you need a phone carrier to make calls, you need an AI provider to use AI models. OmniRoute is like a phone that works with all carriers — you can switch between them automatically.

Types of Providers

Type	What It Is	Examples	Cost
Free	No payment required	Kiro, OpenCode Free, Pollinations	$0
API Key	You need an API key	OpenAI, Anthropic, Google	Pay per use
OAuth	Login with your account	Claude Code, GitHub Copilot	Subscription
Web Cookie	Uses your browser session	ChatGPT Web, Gemini Web	$0 (uses your account)

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Quick Start: Connect Your First Provider

Option A: Free Provider (No Credit Card)

1. Open the dashboard at http://localhost:20128
2. Go to Providers → Add Provider
3. Select one of these free providers:
   • Kiro AI — Free Claude models (no auth needed)
   • OpenCode Free — Free GPT models (no auth needed)
   • Pollinations — Free GPT-5, Claude, Gemini (no key needed)
   • LongCat — 50M tokens/day free
   • Cloudflare AI — 50+ models, 10K neurons/day
4. Click Connect
5. Done! You now have free AI access.

Option B: API Key Provider (Paid)

1. Get an API key from the provider's website:
   • OpenAI: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
   • Anthropic: https://console.anthropic.com/
   • Google: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
   • DeepSeek: https://platform.deepseek.com/
   • Groq: https://console.groq.com/
2. Open the dashboard at http://localhost:20128
3. Go to Providers → Add Provider
4. Select your provider
5. Paste your API key
6. Click Connect
7. Done! You now have access to that provider's models.

Option C: OAuth Provider (Subscription)

1. Open the dashboard at http://localhost:20128
2. Go to Providers → Add Provider
3. Select your provider (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot)
4. Click Connect with OAuth
5. Login with your account
6. Done! You now have access to your subscription models.

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Best Free Providers

These providers offer free access with no credit card:

Provider	Free Quota	Models	How to Connect
Kiro AI	50 credits/month	Claude Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5, Opus 4.6	No auth needed
OpenCode Free	Unlimited	GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini	No auth needed
Pollinations	No key needed	GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama 4	No auth needed
LongCat	50M tokens/day	LongCat-Flash-Lite	No auth needed
Cloudflare AI	10K neurons/day	50+ models	No auth needed
NVIDIA NIM	~40 RPM	129 models	API key needed
Cerebras	1M tokens/day	Qwen3 235B, GPT-OSS 120B	API key needed
Qwen	Unlimited	Qwen3-coder-plus/flash/next	No auth needed
Qoder	Unlimited	Kimi-K2, DeepSeek-R1, Qwen3-coder	No auth needed

Tip: Connect multiple free providers for unlimited free AI with automatic fallback!

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Best Paid Providers

These providers offer high-quality models with API keys:

Provider	Best Models	Cost	Free Tier
OpenAI	GPT-5, GPT-4o	$2.50-$10/1M tokens	$5 free credits
Anthropic	Claude Opus 4.6, Sonnet 4.6	$3-$15/1M tokens	$5 free credits
Google	Gemini 2.5 Pro, Flash	$0.075-$1.25/1M tokens	1,500 req/day free
DeepSeek	DeepSeek V4	$0.14-$0.28/1M tokens	5M free tokens
Groq	Llama 4, Mixtral	$0.05-$0.27/1M tokens	30 RPM free
xAI	Grok 3	$0.30-$0.60/1M tokens	—

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How to Connect a Provider (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Open the Dashboard

Go to http://localhost:20128 in your browser.

Step 2: Go to Providers

Click Providers in the sidebar.

Step 3: Click Add Provider

Click the + Add Provider button.

Step 4: Select Your Provider

Browse the list or search for your provider. Click on it.

Step 5: Enter Credentials

• Free providers: No credentials needed — just click Connect
• API key providers: Paste your API key
• OAuth providers: Click Connect with OAuth and login

Step 6: Test the Connection

Click Test Connection to verify it works.

Step 7: Done!

Your provider is now connected. You can use it with model: "auto" or specify the provider directly.

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Using Multiple Providers

OmniRoute works best with multiple providers. This gives you:

• Automatic fallback — If one provider fails, OmniRoute tries the next
• Cost optimization — OmniRoute picks the cheapest provider for each request
• Speed optimization — OmniRoute picks the fastest provider for each request
• Quality optimization — OmniRoute picks the best provider for each task

Recommended Setup

Connect at least 3 providers for the best experience:

1. One free provider (Kiro, OpenCode Free, or Pollinations) — Always available
2. One fast provider (Groq, Cerebras) — For quick responses
3. One quality provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) — For complex tasks

Then use model: "auto" and OmniRoute will automatically pick the best one for each request.

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Provider-Specific Setup

OpenAI

1. Get API key: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → OpenAI
3. Paste API key → Connect

Anthropic

1. Get API key: https://console.anthropic.com/
2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Anthropic
3. Paste API key → Connect

Google (Gemini)

1. Get API key: https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Gemini
3. Paste API key → Connect

DeepSeek

1. Get API key: https://platform.deepseek.com/
2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → DeepSeek
3. Paste API key → Connect

Groq

1. Get API key: https://console.groq.com/
2. In OmniRoute: Providers → Add Provider → Groq
3. Paste API key → Connect

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Common Questions

"Do I need to pay to use OmniRoute?"

No! OmniRoute is free and open-source. You can use free providers (Kiro, OpenCode Free, Pollinations) without paying anything. You only pay if you choose to use paid providers.

"Which provider should I start with?"

Start with Kiro AI — it's free, requires no API key, and gives you access to Claude models. Then add more providers as needed.

"Can I use multiple providers at once?"

Yes! That's the whole point of OmniRoute. Connect multiple providers and use model: "auto" to let OmniRoute pick the best one for each request.

"What if a provider goes down?"

OmniRoute automatically skips failed providers and tries the next one. You don't need to do anything.

"How do I disconnect a provider?"

Go to Providers → click on the provider → click Disconnect.

"Can I use my existing API keys?"

Yes! If you already have API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc., you can use them in OmniRoute. Just paste them when connecting the provider.

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What's Next?

• Auto-Combo Guide — Let OmniRoute pick the best AI for you
• Free Tiers Guide — Get free AI with no credit card
• Troubleshooting — Fix common issues
• Provider Reference — Full list of 226 providers