# OpenRouter

> One key for many models, and where to see what each costs.

[OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai) sells access to many models behind one key. It's the quickest way to start:
make a key in your OpenRouter account and give it to Solipsist.

```bash
export SOLIPSIST_OPENROUTER_KEY=sk-or-...
```

Set it in your environment: add that line to your shell's profile (`~/.zshrc`, `~/.bashrc`) to keep it. Solipsist
doesn't read a `.env` from the folder it runs in, since that folder may be someone else's. You can also set
`pi.openrouter_key` in `solipsist.yaml`, but that file is easy to commit by accident.
Solipsist never prints a key: errors and `--print-config` only say whether one is set. Restart Solipsist after adding it.

## Picking a model

Open the [agent panel](https://solipsist.sh/docs/reference/agent-panel/) and use the model picker. The picker opens on a shortlist of
OpenRouter models (`pi.models`); search the list for others. The picker shows a model's size and price, so you can see
what a run is likely to cost before you choose.

A model that suits suggestions is one that follows an instruction closely and answers briefly: you are asking it to
rewrite a sentence, not to write a novel. A small model is usually enough for a short rewrite, and a larger one is
worth it for a request that needs the whole page's context.

## What it costs

OpenRouter bills your account. Solipsist adds up what each run cost, shows it in the [status bar](https://solipsist.sh/docs/reference/status-bar/#cost)
and the agent panel, and stops starting new runs at the [spending limits](https://solipsist.sh/docs/agents/how-agents-work/#spending-limits):
$5 a day and $50 a month unless you change them (`agent.cost_limit_day_usd`, `agent.cost_limit_month_usd`). Those
totals are rebuilt from the log, so they survive a restart.

Set a spending limit in your OpenRouter account too: Solipsist's limits only count what its own agents spend.

If it doesn't work, see [When it goes wrong](https://solipsist.sh/docs/engines/when-it-goes-wrong/).

Source: https://solipsist.sh/docs/start/openrouter/