Why is an OpenAI key needed? Shouldn't an OpenRouter key be enough?

[aochagavia]

What it says on the tin 😉

For context:

1. I'm trying plandex out for the first time using the local server with my own keys. I already have credits in OpenRouter and would rather use them instad of buying OpenAI credits.
2. I tried to sidestep this issue by setting the OPENAI_API_BASE to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1, but plandex still tried to authenticate against the official OpenAI endpoint, so I haven't been able to try it out.

[danenania]

Hi, I responded to a similar question in an HN comment, will paste below:

OpenRouter charges a bit extra on credits, and adds some latency with the extra hop, so I decided to keep the OpenAI calls direct by default.

I hear you though that it's a bit of extra hassle to need two accounts, and you're right that it could just use OpenRouter only. The OpenRouter OpenAI endpoints are included as built-in models in Plandex (and can be used via \set-model or a custom model pack - https://docs.plandex.ai/models/model-settings).

I'm also working on allowing direct model provider access in general so that OpenRouter can be optional.

Maybe a quick onboard flow to choose preferred models/providers would be helpful when starting out (OpenRouter only, OpenRouter + OpenAI, direct providers only, etc.).

--

I'll also take a look at OPENAI_API_BASE. Did you set it for the CLI or the server?

[aochagavia]

I set it for the CLI, if I remember correctly. However, I don't expect it to be enough, since the model name changes in the API call.

[scpedicini]

@danenania I had this same question. I think adding it as part of the setup process for running locally (e.g. OpenRouter Only, OpenRouter + OpenAI, etc.) as you suggested would be a nice addition.

[bobm3483]

Alsolutley , this is exactly what I had planned on doing. Since ( to the best of my knowledge) I can't use my local Ollama. The next best option was to use Openrouter for LLM. From: "Shaun Pedicini" ***@***.***> To: "plandex-ai/plandex" ***@***.***> Cc: "Subscribed" ***@***.***> Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2025 1:32:40 PM Subject: Re: [plandex-ai/plandex] Why is an OpenAI key needed? Shouldn't an OpenRouter key be enough? (Discussion #231) [ https://github.com/danenania | @danenania ] I had this same question. I think adding it as part of the setup process for running locally (e.g. OpenRouter Only, OpenRouter + OpenAI, etc.) as you suggested would be a nice addition. — Reply to this email directly, [ #231 (comment) | view it on GitHub ] , or [ https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABO7MHU22WIYLBCXXGBOM6D22KCDRAVCNFSM6AAAAAB3LZMKG2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTEOBYGYZDCOI | unsubscribe ] . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Message ID: ***@***.***>

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[danenania]

Thanks @scpedicini and @bobm3483, working on it!

@bobm3483 while it should be possible to use ollama with custom models since ollama is openai-compatible, I haven't put much time into testing it because models small enough to run locally generally still aren't strong enough to offer a smooth experience with Plandex, at least for all the roles. I do plan to spend some time in the future testing and ironing out any issues though, just to make it more easily available for the sake of experimentation.