OpenRouter¶

Configure HolmesGPT to use OpenRouter for access to multiple AI models through a single API.

Methods¶

Method 1: Native LiteLLM OpenRouter Provider (Recommended)¶

The simplest approach uses LiteLLM's native OpenRouter support. Only OPENROUTER_API_KEY is required. This method is preferred because HolmesGPT can automatically determine token limits and context window sizes for each model.

Holmes CLIHolmes Helm ChartRobusta Helm Chart

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..."  # your OpenRouter key
holmes ask "hello" --model="openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5" --no-interactive

Create a Kubernetes secret in the namespace Holmes runs in:

kubectl create secret generic holmes-openrouter \
  --from-literal=OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..." \
  -n <namespace>

When using the standalone Holmes Helm Chart, update your values.yaml:

extraEnvVarsSecrets:
  - holmes-openrouter

additionalEnvVars:
  # Optional: Set default model (use modelList key name)
  - name: MODEL
    value: "claude-sonnet-4"  # This refers to the key name in modelList below

# Configure at least one model using modelList
modelList:
  claude-sonnet-4:
    api_key: "{{ env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}"
    model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5-20250929
    temperature: 1
    thinking:
      budget_tokens: 10000
      type: enabled

  claude-opus-4:
    api_key: "{{ env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}"
    model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5-20251101
    temperature: 1

Apply the configuration:

helm upgrade holmes robusta/holmes -f values.yaml

Create a Kubernetes secret in the namespace Holmes runs in:

kubectl create secret generic holmes-openrouter \
  --from-literal=OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..." \
  -n <namespace>

When using the Robusta Helm Chart (which includes HolmesGPT), update your generated_values.yaml:

holmes:
  extraEnvVarsSecrets:
    - holmes-openrouter

  additionalEnvVars:
    # Optional: Set default model (use modelList key name)
    - name: MODEL
      value: "claude-sonnet-4"  # This refers to the key name in modelList below

  # Configure at least one model using modelList
  modelList:
    claude-sonnet-4:
      api_key: "{{ env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}"
      model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5-20250929
      temperature: 1
      thinking:
        budget_tokens: 10000
        type: enabled

    claude-opus-4:
      api_key: "{{ env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY }}"
      model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5-20251101
      temperature: 1

Apply the configuration:

helm upgrade robusta robusta/robusta -f generated_values.yaml --set clusterName=<YOUR_CLUSTER_NAME>

Optional environment variables:

OPENROUTER_API_BASE - Custom API base URL (defaults to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1)
OR_SITE_URL - Your site URL for OpenRouter rankings
OR_APP_NAME - Your app name for OpenRouter rankings

Method 2: OpenAI-Compatible Endpoint¶

Alternatively, you can use OpenRouter's OpenAI-compatible endpoint by setting the base URL and using OPENAI_API_KEY. Note the openai/ prefix instead of openrouter/.

Token Limits

With this method, HolmesGPT cannot automatically determine token limits for the model. You may need to set OVERRIDE_MAX_CONTENT_SIZE and OVERRIDE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKEN environment variables manually.

Holmes CLIHolmes Helm ChartRobusta Helm Chart

export OPENAI_API_BASE="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-or-..."  # your OpenRouter key
holmes ask "hello" --model="openai/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5" --no-interactive

Create a Kubernetes secret in the namespace Holmes runs in:

kubectl create secret generic holmes-openrouter-openai \
  --from-literal=OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-or-..." \
  -n <namespace>

When using the standalone Holmes Helm Chart, update your values.yaml:

extraEnvVarsSecrets:
  - holmes-openrouter-openai

additionalEnvVars:
  - name: OPENAI_API_BASE
    value: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
  # Optional: Set default model (use modelList key name)
  - name: MODEL
    value: "claude-sonnet-4"  # This refers to the key name in modelList below

# Configure at least one model using modelList
modelList:
  claude-sonnet-4:
    api_key: "{{ env.OPENAI_API_KEY }}"
    api_base: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
    model: openai/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5-20250929
    temperature: 1
    thinking:
      budget_tokens: 10000
      type: enabled

  claude-opus-4:
    api_key: "{{ env.OPENAI_API_KEY }}"
    api_base: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
    model: openai/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5-20251101
    temperature: 1

Apply the configuration:

helm upgrade holmes robusta/holmes -f values.yaml

Create a Kubernetes secret in the namespace Holmes runs in:

kubectl create secret generic holmes-openrouter-openai \
  --from-literal=OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-or-..." \
  -n <namespace>

When using the Robusta Helm Chart (which includes HolmesGPT), update your generated_values.yaml:

holmes:
  extraEnvVarsSecrets:
    - holmes-openrouter-openai

  additionalEnvVars:
    - name: OPENAI_API_BASE
      value: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
    # Optional: Set default model (use modelList key name)
    - name: MODEL
      value: "claude-sonnet-4"  # This refers to the key name in modelList below

  # Configure at least one model using modelList
  modelList:
    claude-sonnet-4:
      api_key: "{{ env.OPENAI_API_KEY }}"
      api_base: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
      model: openai/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5-20250929
      temperature: 1
      thinking:
        budget_tokens: 10000
        type: enabled

    claude-opus-4:
      api_key: "{{ env.OPENAI_API_KEY }}"
      api_base: "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
      model: openai/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5-20251101
      temperature: 1

Apply the configuration:

helm upgrade robusta robusta/robusta -f generated_values.yaml --set clusterName=<YOUR_CLUSTER_NAME>

Available Models¶

You can use any model available on OpenRouter. The model prefix depends on which method you use:

Method 1 (Native): Use openrouter/ prefix

openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
openrouter/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5
openrouter/openai/gpt-4o
openrouter/google/gemini-2.5-pro

Method 2 (OpenAI-Compatible): Use openai/ prefix

openai/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
openai/anthropic/claude-opus-4.5
openai/openai/gpt-4o
openai/google/gemini-2.5-pro

See the OpenRouter models page for a complete list of available models.