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AIDA Documentation

OpenRouter Setup

Last updated October 23, 2026 · AIDA docs v11 · All documentation

What is OpenRouter?

OpenRouter is a service that gives you access to hundreds of AI models from providers like Google, Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and more — all through a single API key. It includes many completely free models that require no credit card.

AIDA uses OpenRouter to power all AI responses, tool usage, and automations.

Step 1 — Create an OpenRouter Account

  1. Go to openrouter.ai
  2. Click Sign Up
  3. Sign up with Google, GitHub, or email
  4. No credit card required for free models

Step 2 — Create an API Key

  1. Once logged in, click your profile icon (top right)
  2. Click API Keys
  3. Click Create Key
  4. Give it a name — e.g. "AIDA"
  5. Click Create
  6. Copy the key immediately — it starts with sk-or-v1-...
Important: The key is only shown once. If you lose it, you will need to create a new one.

Step 3 — Add Your Key to AIDA

  1. Open AIDA → Settings
  2. Under LLM Provider, make sure OpenRouter is selected
  3. Paste your API key in the OpenRouter API Key field
  4. Click Save Key
  5. You should see a confirmation that the key was saved

Step 4 — Choose a Model

  1. In Settings, click Change Model
  2. Browse the recommended models or search for any model
  3. Click a model to select it
Tip: click the ⭐ star on any model to add it to your favorites for quick access later.

Free Models (No Credits Needed)

OpenRouter offers many free models — no credit card required. These are great for getting started. Free model IDs end with :free.

Popular free models:

  • nvidia/nemotron-3.5-super-vl:free — NVIDIA's open model
  • google/gemma-4-31b-it:free — Google's open model

Free tier limits: free models have daily usage limits. Adding a small amount of credit to your OpenRouter account raises them.

For heavier usage or more powerful models, add credits to your OpenRouter account:

  1. Go to openrouter.ai → Settings → Credits
  2. Add credits (no minimum, no expiry, no monthly fees)
  3. Pay only for what you use

Popular paid models:

  • deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash-1017 — DeepSeek's fast, low-cost model
  • google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite — Google's fast, low-cost model
  • anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 — Anthropic's fast, low-cost model
  • openai/gpt-6-luna — OpenAI's fast, low-cost model

If you are new to AIDA, start with a free model to explore the features. Once you are comfortable, switch to a paid model for better performance and higher limits.

Use /model in the chat window to check your current model at any time.

Troubleshooting

"API key invalid" error — Double-check the key was copied correctly. It should start with sk-or-v1-. Create a new key if needed.

"Rate limit" error — You have hit the free-tier usage limit. Either wait for it to reset or add a small amount of credit to your OpenRouter account to raise it.

Model not responding — Some free models have occasional downtime. Try switching to a different free model temporarily.

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