Setup guide - Documented by Goose
Use OpenRouter in Goose
goose has OpenRouter as a built-in provider. The desktop app offers one-click Automatic setup with OpenRouter (browser auth). The CLI runs goose configure and asks for OPENROUTER_API_KEY. Optional OPENROUTER_HOST and OPENROUTER_PARAMETERS are supported.
Last verified 5 steps2 official sources
Steps
- Step 1.
goose Desktop, first run: on the welcome screen choose
Automatic setup with OpenRouter. goose opens a browser window to authenticate with OpenRouter (or create an account). Return to goose Desktop to start your first session. - Step 2.
goose CLI: run the configure command.
Terminalgoose configure - Step 3.
Select
Configure Providers, choose OpenRouter from the provider list, and enter your OPENROUTER_API_KEY when prompted. Then pick a model from the list. - Step 4.
Optional: add OpenRouter request parameters to every chat completion through OPENROUTER_PARAMETERS in config.yaml.
YAMLOPENROUTER_PARAMETERS: verbosity: xhigh reasoning: effort: high - Step 5.
Optional: set the model for a single session.
Terminalgoose run --model <openrouter-model-slug> -t "initial prompt"
Caveats
- goose's docs list no OpenRouter model ids. The listed modelIds come from OpenRouter's docs. This combines the two sources.
goose configuredoesn't support entering custom model names. For a model not in the list, use goose Desktop or edit GOOSE_MODEL in config.yaml.- goose turns on Anthropic prompt caching automatically for Claude models via OpenRouter.
- The OPENROUTER_PARAMETERS example in goose's docs also includes a plugins entry. It was left out here on purpose.
- The block.github.io/goose docs URL now redirects to goose-docs.ai. The goose run example in goose's docs uses a direct Anthropic model name, so the OpenRouter slug placeholder here is an adaptation.
More setup guides
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Related reading
- Model Routing Recipes: Practical Config Patterns to Cut AI SpendModel routing recipes with paste-ready OpenRouter and LiteLLM configs for task tiers, fallback chains, cost ceilings and cache-aware routing that cut AI spend.
- OpenRouter Fusion Makes Model Panels Real. Use Them Like Escalation, Not AutopilotOpenRouter Fusion turns multi-model panels into an API feature. Use it as an escalation lane for prompts where a wrong answer is expensive, not as the default.
- OpenRouter in 2026: Review, Setup, and When Model Routing PaysOpenRouter review and setup - one API key for 300+ models with fallbacks and provider routing, what it costs, and when to go direct to a provider instead.
- LLM Routers Compared: LiteLLM vs Portkey vs OpenRouter in 2026LiteLLM vs Portkey vs OpenRouter compared for production AI apps: cost tracking, fallbacks, caching, and load balancing, plus when to use each router.
- Goose: The Open Source AI Agent With 70+ MCP ExtensionsGoose is an open-source Rust AI agent with a desktop app, CLI, and API that works across 15+ LLM providers and 70+ MCP extensions. Here is where it fits.
FAQ
How do I use OpenRouter in Goose?
goose has OpenRouter as a built-in provider. The desktop app offers one-click Automatic setup with OpenRouter (browser auth). The CLI runs goose configure and asks for OPENROUTER_API_KEY. Optional OPENROUTER_HOST and OPENROUTER_PARAMETERS are supported.
Which OpenRouter model ids work in Goose?
The official docs read for this guide list ~anthropic/claude-sonnet-latest and anthropic/claude-opus-4.8.
Is this an official OpenRouter and Goose setup?
Goose documents this setup in its own docs. It was last checked against 2 official pages on October 17, 2026.
Sources
Last verified against 2 official pages.
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