# Generic OpenAI-compatible clients

If a tool isn't on this list, it almost certainly works as long as it
exposes two settings: **base URL** and **API key**. The pattern below
is what to fill in.

## Settings to set

| Setting | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Provider type | OpenAI Compatible (sometimes "Custom OpenAI" or "OpenAI API") |
| Base URL | `https://lowrouter.ai/api/v1` |
| API Key | your `lr-sk-...` token |
| Path / endpoint | `/chat/completions` (most tools handle this automatically) |
| Model | any LowRouter model ID — `lowrouter/auto`, `openai/gpt-4o-mini`, … |

## What does *not* work

- **Tools that hard-code `https://api.openai.com`** without a
  base-URL setting cannot be redirected. Some have a `OPENAI_API_BASE`
  environment variable that achieves the same thing.
- **Tools that require a specific model ID format** (e.g. `gpt-4` with
  no provider prefix) need the model picker reconfigured to accept
  arbitrary strings — most have a "custom model name" field.
- **Tools that send Anthropic-shaped requests on the OpenAI endpoint**
  will be rejected. Use the
  [Anthropic SDK base URL](anthropic-sdk) instead.

## Confirming it works

Before integrating, test from the command line that the tool's
settings are right:

```bash
curl https://lowrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"lowrouter/auto","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]}'
```

If `curl` returns a completion, the tool will too — once it's
configured with the same URL and key.

## Tools we know work without changes

- **LangChain** (`OpenAI` and `ChatOpenAI` classes — set
  `openai_api_base` and `openai_api_key`).
- **LlamaIndex** (`OpenAI` and `OpenAILike` LLMs).
- **LiteLLM** (proxy and library — set `api_base` and `api_key`).
- **Vercel AI SDK** (`createOpenAI` from `@ai-sdk/openai-compatible`).
- **Continue.dev** (`provider: openai-aiohttp` with `apiBase`).
- **LM Studio** (Server tab → custom backend).

## When to prefer the OpenAI path over a tool's native provider

If a tool has both an "OpenAI" and an "LowRouter / OpenRouter / custom
gateway" option, prefer the OpenAI Compatible one. It exposes the
fewest surprises: the tool sends a standard chat-completions request,
LowRouter resolves the route, and the response is in the shape the
tool already expects.