Connect Roo Code through an OpenAI-compatible provider
Roo Code is a popular open-source AI coding agent for VS Code (it began as a Cline fork) that bills through whatever API provider you plug in. Pointing its OpenAI-compatible provider at Router One unlocks GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok family models behind one key — and since agents burn tokens fast, the per-request cost trace shows exactly where each session's spend went.
Configure Roo Code to use the Router One base URL
In Roo Code's settings, set the API Provider to "OpenAI Compatible" and fill in base URL, key, and a model ID from the /models page:
# Roo Code → Settings → API Provider: OpenAI Compatible Base URL: https://api.router.one/v1 API Key: sk-your-router-one-key Model ID: <copy the exact ID from /models>
Which model ID should Roo Code send?
Copy the exact model ID from /models, preserving case, hyphens, and version suffixes; do not substitute a display name. Open its detail page and match the supported API endpoints, context window, and capabilities such as tool calling to the provider and features selected in Roo Code. A catalog listing does not mean the client can use every feature of that model. Give each tool a dedicated API key with a maxSpend cap.
Which API protocol is Roo Code using?
OpenAI-compatible describes an interface format; it does not make Chat Completions (/v1/chat/completions), Responses (/v1/responses), and Anthropic Messages (/v1/messages) interchangeable. Check the installed client version, provider configuration, and actual request path against the model detail page and API compatibility fact sheet. A successful plain-text chat does not establish support for hosted tools, conversation state, or file-editing features.
Verify the Roo Code call in your request trace
Send a simple text request from Roo Code, then match its trace in Dashboard → Logs by time, model, and request_id: tokens, cost, latency, and status. Next, test streaming, tool calls, and multi-turn history separately. For failures, retain the actual request path, full error message, and request_id. If there is no matching log, check client configuration and connectivity before attributing the error to the gateway or upstream.
FAQ
Is the setup the same as Cline?
Nearly — Roo Code keeps Cline's provider model: settings (gear icon) → API Provider → "OpenAI Compatible", then Base URL, API Key, and Model ID. Different modes can use different models.
Which models can Roo Code use through the gateway?
Choose a current catalog model that supports both the endpoint and the features Roo Code uses. Check /models and the model detail page for the exact ID, current rates, and capabilities; a family name such as GPT or Claude is not a compatibility guarantee. Seeing a model in the picker confirms discovery, so verify an actual request too.
Models are listed, but requests fail with 400 or 404. What should I check?
Record the actual request path and error message, then check the exact model ID. A 400 can indicate invalid parameters, unsupported tools, or a model/endpoint mismatch; a 404 can indicate an incorrect path or missing resource, so it does not by itself establish that a model was retired. If the error says must be called via, use the named endpoint or select a model supported on the current endpoint. Do not add or remove /v1 or /chat/completions across all clients indiscriminately.
Does this work from Mainland China?
Yes. The gateway is reachable from Mainland China without a VPN, and the configuration is identical to the global setup.
How do I debug a 401/402/403/429?
Match the request and error message in Dashboard → Logs. For 401, check whether the key was sent and is valid; for 402, check wallet balance and maxSpend; for 403, check key permissions and access restrictions. For 429, distinguish request/token limits from upstream throttling using the error details. Keep the request_id and follow the error-codes reference.