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Overview

OpenRouter is a unified API gateway that provides access to 200+ models from providers like Anthropic, Google, Meta, Mistral, and more — all through a single API key and OpenAI-compatible endpoint. By connecting OpenRouter as a custom model provider in Zencoder, you can:
  • Access models not natively available in the Zencoder model selector
  • Use a single API key for multiple providers
  • Take advantage of OpenRouter’s automatic fallback and routing
  • Use open-source models (Llama, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek) alongside commercial ones

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Prerequisites

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Step-by-Step Setup

1

Get your OpenRouter API key

Go to openrouter.ai/keys and create a new API key. Copy it — you’ll need it in the next step.
2

Open your Zencoder settings file

Open the settings file at one of these locations:
  • Machine-wide: ~/.zencoder/settings.json
  • Per project: .zencoder/settings.json (in your repo root)
Create the file if it doesn’t exist.
3

Add the OpenRouter provider

Paste the following configuration, replacing your-openrouter-api-key with your actual key:
4

Reload settings

Restart the Zencoder extension or Zenflow app to pick up the new provider. Your OpenRouter models will appear in the model selector.

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Adding More Models

To add any model from the OpenRouter model list, add a new entry under the "models" object. The "name" field must match OpenRouter’s model identifier (e.g., anthropic/claude-sonnet-4, google/gemini-2.5-pro).
Use descriptive displayName values that include “(OpenRouter)” so you can distinguish these from Zencoder’s built-in models in the selector.

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Keeping Zencoder Default Models

By default, OpenRouter models appear alongside Zencoder’s built-in models. If you want to hide the built-in catalog and only show your OpenRouter models, add "useDefaultProviders": false at the top level:

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Securing Your API Key

Instead of storing your API key directly in the JSON file, you can use an environment variable:
  1. Remove the "apiKey" field from the provider config
  2. Export the key in your shell profile:
Zencoder will automatically look for ZENCODER_<PROVIDER>_API_KEY if no inline key is found.

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Troubleshooting

Restart Zencoder or Zenflow after editing settings.json. Verify the JSON is valid — a missing comma or bracket will silently fail.
Check that your OpenRouter API key is valid and has sufficient credits. Verify the model name matches the exact identifier on openrouter.ai/models.
Some OpenRouter models queue during peak hours. Try a different model or check openrouter.ai/activity for current status.

Custom Models (BYOM)

Full reference for configuring custom model providers

Model Selection & BYOK

Built-in models and Bring Your Own Key setup