OpenRouter API key

Sign in and open API Keys

Create an account or sign in at OpenRouter, then open API Keys. If you have several workspaces, choose the one for your app using the selector at the top of the sidebar.

Click the green New Key button in the top-right corner. Use API Keys, not Management Keys.

Create a key for your app

Fill in the form:

1. Name: enter a recognizable name, such as Ship & Scale.
2. Expiration: choose a lifetime, such as 90 days. Replace the key in your app before it expires.
3. Credit limit: choose Custom amount and enter a testing budget, such as 5 for a $5 limit.
4. Reset limit every…: leave N/A for a total limit that doesn't renew automatically.

Click Create, then copy the generated key and save it privately. You'll paste it into .env in the final step.

The credit limit caps this key's usage; it doesn't add money to your account. When the limit is reached, requests stop until you increase it.

Add credits for model requests

Open Credits from the sidebar. The starter's default model requires paid credits. If your account already has an available balance, you can skip the purchase.

Otherwise, click Add Credits under Buy Credits.

Choose your Amount, add a payment method if needed, and review Service fees, any tax and Total due before clicking Purchase. The amounts below are an example; use the total shown in your checkout.

After payment, confirm that Total available shows a balance. Your app's workspace credits are separate from this OpenRouter balance.

Save the key in .env

Open the root .env file beside package.json. If it doesn't exist, copy .env.example to .env. Update these existing lines and save:

AI_ENABLED=true
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=replace_with_your_openrouter_key
AI_MODEL=openai/gpt-4.1-mini

Replace the example key with your real value. Keep the default AI_MODEL for now and only one active line for each setting. On Windows, make sure the file is named .env, not .env.txt.