MODEL GATEWAY AND PRICING / OpenRouter
OpenRouter MCP Server
OpenRouter-hosted MCP server for live model search, per-provider pricing, credits, usage rankings and docs, plus two billable tools (send-message and generate-image). Connecting mints a dedicated OpenRouter key with a 7-day expiry and a $10 default spend limit.
“The OpenRouter MCP server plugs OpenRouter into the AI tools you already use.”
01 / THE REASONING
Why this made the selection.
- Publisher-hosted remote endpoint needs no local install and covers model discovery plus live per-provider pricing in one place.
- The guide names the billable tools (send-message, generate-image) and the one that writes (send-feedback), and caps each connection with its own key: 7-day expiry and a $10 default spend limit.
02 / THE REVIEW RECORD
What we actually inspected.
Source review has boundaries.
A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge.
Material inspected
- Hosted MCP guide, read 2026-10-13 (HTML and its Markdown export): endpoint https://mcp.openrouter.ai/mcp, per-client setup, the tool table, the OAuth/PKCE flow and the dedicated key with a 7-day expiry and $10 default spend limit.
- OAuth authorization-server metadata served by the endpoint on 2026-10-13: authorization, token and dynamic registration endpoints, code grant only, PKCE S256. An unauthenticated POST to https://mcp.openrouter.ai/mcp answered 401 with a WWW-Authenticate header pointing to the protected-resource metadata.
Our findings
- The server is remote-only; there is no repository, package or revision to pin.
- The guide's tool table lists send-message, generate-image, list-models, get-model, list-model-endpoints, list-providers, list-daily-model-rankings, list-app-rankings, get-credits, get-generation, list-benchmarks, list-task-classifications, search-docs, send-feedback, spawn-ori-eval, install-ori-harness and ping.
- The issued token is a standard OpenRouter API key labelled "OpenRouter MCP: <app name>", visible and revocable in the key dashboard; its spend cap can be edited on the approval screen.
- The transport is recorded as Streamable HTTP from the guide's claude mcp add --transport http command; the guide does not name the transport itself.
- configExample is the guide's Cursor CLI ~/.cursor/mcp.json block.
- Corrected 2026-10-13: the upstream description was not a quote from the guide; the record also said catalogue and pricing lookups work without an account and that the client attaches an API key, while the guide says every request needs the OAuth-issued key.
Not established by this review
- Server connection, authentication and tool execution were not tested.
The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior.
03 / PUT IT TO WORK
Connect a server deliberately.
- Add https://mcp.openrouter.ai/mcp to the MCP client (Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http openrouter https://mcp.openrouter.ai/mcp).
- Run the client's login step and approve the OpenRouter consent page, which mints a dedicated key; adjust its spend cap there if $10 is not wanted.
- Confirm which tools are billable before enabling send-message or generate-image.
Before you start
- An OpenRouter account.
Documented configuration example
Use the client and authentication context described in the setup guidance. Configuration formats vary between hosts.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openrouter": {
"url": "https://mcp.openrouter.ai/mcp"
}
}
}04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The source trail.
Our notes are separate from the original resource.
Check upstream before adopting a new version.
https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/overview/mcp-server
Supports: summary, upstreamDescription, install, compatibility, access, transports, configExample, limitations, whySelected, bestFor, review
https://mcp.openrouter.ai/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
Supports: access, review