Frequently Asked Questions
Router One is an OpenAI-compatible LLM API gateway for 30+ models. These answers cover the model catalog, API keys, smart routing and failover, billing and top-ups, data handling, and Claude Code / Codex setup — anything else, contact us.
What is Router One?
Router One is a unified LLM API gateway. It provides one OpenAI-compatible API endpoint for 30+ supported models across the major model families (GPT, Claude, Gemini, and more), with intelligent routing, automatic fallback, per-request cost traces and observability, and per-key spend caps — reachable worldwide, including mainland China, with payment by card, Alipay, or stablecoins.
How do I get an API Key?
Sign up for a Router One account, then go to Dashboard → API Keys to create a new key. Your key will start with "sk-". Use it in the Authorization header as "Bearer sk-xxx".
Which models are supported?
The line-up turns over whenever new model versions ship, so this answer does not pin a fixed list. The model catalog at /models is the live source of truth: it lists every model ID you can call right now — the GPT, Claude and Gemini families among others — with per-token rates, context windows, and capabilities. If a model is not in the catalog, it is not callable through the gateway.
Browse the model catalogHow does smart routing work?
Your request names a model, and that model serves it: the gateway sends it over one of the routes serving that model. If a route returns 429, a 5xx or times out, the request is retried on another route for the same model, and routes with a sustained upstream-error rate are automatically moved to the back of the order until they recover. With model="auto", the gateway classifies the request into a low, medium or high tier and serves it with a model from that tier. Customer Logs records the model, request ID, usage, settled cost, recorded latency, and status without exposing upstream suppliers or service routes. Routing weights are not customer-configurable.
Read the routing methodologyHow is billing handled?
Router One supports pay-per-token wallet billing and live subscription plans. Top up your balance with a card or Alipay through one hosted checkout, or with USDT/USDC stablecoins on six chains, or choose a Pro, Max, or Ultra plan for predictable monthly access. If your usable credit reaches zero, API calls outside plan coverage will return a 402 error — top up to resume.
See pricing and plansIs my data safe? Do you store request content?
Router One does not retain prompt or model-response bodies from direct API calls. It records request metadata for billing, usage tracking, and troubleshooting. Playground saves conversation history so users can revisit and continue their chats.
Read the data-retention policyHow do I configure Claude Code or Codex to use Router One?
For OpenAI-compatible SDKs and HTTP clients, set the base URL (or OPENAI_BASE_URL) to https://api.router.one/v1. For Claude Code, set ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL to https://api.router.one and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN to your Router One key — ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is not required, and setting it triggers an extra approval prompt. For Codex CLI, keep a top-level model = "gpt-5.6-sol" line in ~/.codex/config.toml (without one, Codex 0.159.1 and later use their bundled default gpt-6.1-sol) and add a provider with base_url = "https://api.router.one/v1", wire_api = "responses", and env_key = "ROUTER_ONE_API_KEY" — Codex does not read OPENAI_BASE_URL or OPENAI_API_KEY for a custom provider. One-click install scripts and detailed setup guides are in our documentation.
Open the quickstart guideWhat should I do if I encounter an issue?
Start from the error your client received — its status code, error body and X-Request-ID. The common ones — 401 (invalid API key), 402 (insufficient balance, or the key's spend cap reached) and 429 (rate limit on your key or account) — are refused before any model is called, so they do not show up in Dashboard → Logs; requests that fail after reaching a model normally do, with their request ID (a streamed request that failed before any output may not). For further help, email support@router.one with the request ID or open an issue on our GitHub.
Look up error codesCan I get an invoice?
Yes. Every payment completed through the hosted checkout — card or Alipay — is invoiced automatically: the invoice is emailed to the address you entered at checkout once the payment succeeds, for pay-as-you-go wallet top-ups and subscriptions alike, so there is nothing to request. Stablecoin top-ups are a separate rail and are not invoiced.