OpenRouter gives you one API key and one bill for 300+ AI models — Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Mistral, Qwen, and dozens of niche providers. OpenClaw Easy is the official one-click desktop installer for OpenClaw that pipes those models into your messaging apps. This guide walks through the full setup in five minutes.
Why use OpenRouter with OpenClaw Easy
OpenClaw Easy already supports Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek and local models via Ollama natively. So why add OpenRouter?
- One key for everything. Stop juggling Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek and Mistral keys separately. One OpenRouter key gets you all of them, plus another 290+ models.
- Cheap or free tiers per model. OpenRouter exposes pricing per model — switch from GPT-4o to Llama 3.1 Nemotron at a fraction of the cost without rewriting any setup.
- No vendor lock-in. If Anthropic raises Claude prices tomorrow, switch to DeepSeek R1 in OpenClaw Easy with a one-click model picker change. OpenRouter handles the routing.
- Provider failover. OpenRouter auto-falls-back to mirror providers if your primary is down, so your WhatsApp / Telegram / Slack bots stay live during outages.
What you'll need
- OpenClaw Easy installed on macOS or Windows — free download here
- An OpenRouter account (free to sign up) at openrouter.ai
- A few dollars in credit (or use the free models that OpenRouter exposes)
Step 1 — Install OpenClaw Easy
Grab the signed installer for your OS from the download page. The macOS DMG works on both Apple Silicon and Intel; the Windows installer is x64-signed. No terminal. No WSL2. No Node.js. The whole install is a single drag-to-Applications or double-click.
If you want a longer walkthrough, our no-terminal install guide covers every step with screenshots.
Step 2 — Get an OpenRouter API key
- Go to openrouter.ai and sign in (Google, GitHub or email).
- Click Keys in the sidebar.
- Click Create Key. Optionally set a credit limit per key so you cap exposure.
- Copy the key — it starts with
sk-or-v1-.... Treat it like a password.
If you're new to OpenRouter, top up $5–10 in credit under Credits. Most chat traffic with a frontier model costs cents per day, and you'll get a real-time burn-down rate in the dashboard.
Step 3 — Add the key in OpenClaw Easy
- Open OpenClaw Easy.
- Click AI Provider in the sidebar.
- Under Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), select OpenRouter.
- Paste the
sk-or-v1-...key. - Click Save.
OpenClaw Easy stores the key encrypted in ~/.openclaw/credentials/ on your machine. It never leaves your computer except when OpenClaw makes a request directly to OpenRouter's API.
Step 4 — Pick a model
OpenRouter exposes hundreds of models. Some sensible defaults:
| Use case | Suggested model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best quality, willing to pay | anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 | Top-tier reasoning and tool use; great for agent loops |
| Reasoning at low cost | deepseek/deepseek-r1 | Strong reasoning, much cheaper than frontier models |
| Free tier | meta-llama/llama-3.1-405b-instruct:free | OpenRouter offers free-tier endpoints with rate limits |
| Fast + cheap chat | google/gemini-2.0-flash-001 | Sub-second responses, low per-token cost |
| Code-heavy tasks | anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 or openai/gpt-5.5 | Best code generation and edit fidelity |
In OpenClaw Easy, the model is set on the active agent. Go to the agent's config and paste the OpenRouter model ID into the Model field.
Step 5 — Connect a messaging channel
Now wire the AI to your chat apps:
- WhatsApp — scan a QR code with your phone. Full guide here.
- Telegram — paste a bot token from @BotFather. Full guide here.
- Discord — one OAuth invite link. Full guide here.
- Slack — connect via OAuth. Full guide here.
- Feishu / Line — paste a bot token. UI prompts walk you through it.
Send a message into the connected app — OpenClaw routes it through your OpenRouter key to the model you chose, then pipes the response back into the chat.
Frequently asked questions
Does OpenClaw Easy support OpenRouter natively?
Yes. OpenRouter is a first-class BYOK provider in the OpenClaw Easy desktop app. Pick it from the AI Provider screen and paste your key — no config files, no environment variables.
Where is my OpenRouter key stored?
Encrypted on your local machine under ~/.openclaw/credentials/. It never transits openclaw-easy.com or any of our servers. OpenClaw Easy makes requests directly from your computer to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1.
Can I switch models per channel?
Yes. Each agent in OpenClaw Easy has its own model setting. Run Claude on your WhatsApp agent, GPT-4o on your Slack agent, and DeepSeek on your Telegram agent — same OpenRouter key for all of them.
What about rate limits?
OpenRouter applies the underlying provider's rate limits, plus a 200-request-per-10-second cap by default. For a personal WhatsApp / Telegram bot this is well within bounds. For high-volume Slack workflows, request a higher limit in your OpenRouter dashboard.
Do I lose anything by going through OpenRouter instead of direct?
Minimally. OpenRouter adds about 10–50ms of latency. Some models expose extra parameters (e.g. Anthropic prompt caching) that may not be fully wired through. For most chat use cases, this is invisible.
Related guides
- Use OpenClaw for free with Ollama — fully local, no API key at all
- Run a local LLM on WhatsApp with Ollama — 100% offline chat
- Best free AI desktop app in 2026 — comparison of OpenClaw Easy, Jan, LibreChat
- What is OpenClaw? — the underlying open-source agent framework