Devtoolwatch BoardOpenRouter AI SDK provider review
OpenRouter AI SDK provider is a TypeScript package that connects the Vercel AI SDK to models on the OpenRouter chat and completion APIs.
TL;DR
OpenRouter AI SDK provider lets Vercel AI SDK apps call large language models through OpenRouter. It is for TypeScript developers who want one provider for text generation, embeddings, reranking and evaluation. The current release line supports ai@^7.0.0, with legacy versions for AI SDK v6 and v5.
- 693GitHub stars
- +3new stars, week of Oct 25
- ~4.3Mdownloads a week, +14% vs 4-week avg
- #12in Model SDKs and gateways this week
OpenRouter AI SDK provider at a glance
- Category
- Model SDKs and gateways
- Maintained by
- OpenRouter (organization, @OpenRouterTeam on GitHub)
- License
- Apache 2.0
- Language
- TypeScript, Shell
- Repository
- github.com/OpenRouterTeam/ai-sdk-provider
- Website
- www.npmjs.com/package/@openrouter/ai-sdk-provider
- npm package
- @openrouter/ai-sdk-provider 3.1.0
- Latest release
- 3.1.0 on GitHub, Sep 19, 2026
- First published
- Jul 18, 2024
What OpenRouter AI SDK provider does
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider exposes OpenRouter models to AI SDK functions such as generateText and streamText through the openrouter provider instance.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider creates embeddings with embed and embedMany using openrouter.textEmbeddingModel, for semantic search and RAG pipelines.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider supports rerank models that reorder documents by relevance to a query through openrouter.rerankingModel.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider implements the AI SDK evaluation model contract on the OpenRouter Decisions API via decisionModel() and evaluationModel().
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider passes extra request body fields through providerOptions.openrouter, model-level extraBody, or factory-level extraBody.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider forwards multimodal options such as imageDetail for images and videoProcessing for video file parts.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider supports Anthropic prompt caching options and Anthropic beta headers such as fine-grained tool streaming.
How it works
You install the npm package and import the openrouter instance, or call createOpenRouter with an API key, headers or a custom baseURL. You then pass a model ID such as 'openai/gpt-4o' to Vercel AI SDK functions. Requests go to the OpenRouter chat and completion APIs. Evaluation requests go to the Decisions API at https://openrouter.ai/api/alpha.
How to install and start using OpenRouter AI SDK provider
With npm
npm install @openrouter/ai-sdk-providerWith pnpm
pnpm add @openrouter/ai-sdk-providerWith yarn
yarn add @openrouter/ai-sdk-providerRequirements
- Node.js 22 or newer
- Vercel AI SDK ai@^7.0.0 for the current release line; experimental_evaluate needs [email protected] or newer
- An OpenRouter API key passed to createOpenRouter
- An ESM project, since the package is ESM-only
First steps
- Install @openrouter/ai-sdk-provider alongside the ai package version 7.
- Import the provider with import { openrouter } from '@openrouter/ai-sdk-provider', or call createOpenRouter with your API key.
- Call generateText from 'ai' with model: openrouter('openai/gpt-4o') and a prompt.
- Check the OpenRouter models page for current model IDs, including models that support tools.
Who OpenRouter AI SDK provider is for
- TypeScript developers building on the Vercel AI SDK who want many models through one provider
- Teams building RAG or semantic search that need embeddings and reranking in the AI SDK
- Developers routing AI SDK evaluation requests through OpenRouter instead of the default gateway
Limitations to know
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider's current line is ESM-only and requires Node.js 22 or newer.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider's Decisions API support is alpha, and request and response shapes may change.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider's model list may include models that are not compatible with the AI SDK.
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider's AI SDK v5 and v6 users must pin legacy versions 1.5.4 and 2.9.1.
Is OpenRouter AI SDK provider growing? Usage data
In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, OpenRouter AI SDK provider ranked #215 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #12 in Model SDKs and gateways, with a momentum score of 43 out of 100. Its main package had about 4.3M downloads that week, +14% against its own 4-week average.
Show the weekly numbers
| Week of | New stars |
|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2026 | 2 |
| Aug 16, 2026 | 2 |
| Aug 23, 2026 | 7 |
| Aug 30, 2026 | 0 |
| Sep 6, 2026 | 4 |
| Sep 13, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 20, 2026 | 2 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 0 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 2 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 2 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 1 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 3 |
On Hacker News
- Claude Code 2.0, 842 points and 413 comments (Sep 29, 2025)
- Show HN: Ez FFmpeg – Video editing in plain English, 420 points and 198 comments (Dec 27, 2025)
- Svelte 5 Released, 415 points and 246 comments (Oct 19, 2024)
- Is-even-ai – Check if a number is even using the power of AI, 301 points and 159 comments (May 20, 2025)
- NPM – "is-even", 160k weekly downloads, 247 points and 260 comments (Nov 16, 2021)
The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.
OpenRouter AI SDK provider alternatives
Other LLM SDKs and gateways on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:
| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | thinking-orbsthinking-orbs is a React library of dotted, animated thought-orb loading indicators for AI and agent user interfaces. | 3.9k | 1.4M |
| #2 | HeadroomHeadroom compresses tool outputs, logs, files, and RAG chunks locally before they reach the LLM, as a library, proxy, or MCP server. | 78.5k | 125.8k |
| #3 | LiteLLMLiteLLM is an open source AI gateway and Python SDK that calls 100+ LLM providers through one OpenAI-format interface. | 62.5k | 23.1M |
| #4 | Honcho Memory library for building stateful agents | 7.9k | – |
| #5 | Anthropic SDKAnthropic SDK is the official Python library for calling the Claude API from Python applications. | 4k | 111M |
| #6 | Hugging Face HubHugging Face Hub is the official CLI and Python client for downloading, uploading and managing models, datasets and Spaces on the… | 4k | 68.3M |
Recent OpenRouter AI SDK provider releases
OpenRouter AI SDK provider FAQ
Is OpenRouter AI SDK provider free and open source?
Yes. OpenRouter AI SDK provider's source code is on GitHub (OpenRouterTeam/ai-sdk-provider) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.
How do I install OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
Run npm install @openrouter/ai-sdk-provider. It needs Node.js >=22. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.
Is OpenRouter AI SDK provider still maintained?
Yes. The OpenRouterTeam/ai-sdk-provider repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, 3.1.0 on GitHub, came out on Sep 19, 2026.
How popular is OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
OpenRouter AI SDK provider has 693 GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 3 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 2 a week. Its main package had about 4.3M downloads that week, +14% against its own 4-week average. That made it #12 among LLM SDKs and gateways on the Devtoolwatch Board.
What are the best alternatives to OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
Other LLM SDKs and gateways on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: thinking-orbs (#1), Headroom (#2), LiteLLM (#3), Honcho (#4), Anthropic SDK (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.
What is the OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
The OpenRouter AI SDK provider is the OpenRouter provider for the Vercel AI SDK. It gives AI SDK apps access to models on the OpenRouter chat and completion APIs. It also supports embeddings, reranking and evaluation.
What is the npm package name for the OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
The npm package is @openrouter/ai-sdk-provider. Version 3.1.0 requires Node.js 22 or newer.
Where is the OpenRouter AI SDK provider on GitHub?
The OpenRouter AI SDK provider lives in the OpenRouterTeam/ai-sdk-provider repository on GitHub. It is written in TypeScript and published under the Apache-2.0 license.
Which OpenRouter AI SDK provider version works with AI SDK v5 or v6?
Use version 2.9.1 for AI SDK v6 and version 1.5.4 for AI SDK v5. The current release line targets ai@^7.0.0.
Can I use a custom baseURL or proxy with the OpenRouter AI SDK provider?
Yes. createOpenRouter accepts a baseURL. The Decisions URL is derived by replacing a trailing /v1 with /alpha. If your baseURL does not end in /v1, set decisionsBaseURL, or decisionModel() throws a LoadSettingError.
Sources
- OpenRouterTeam/ai-sdk-provider on GitHub
- OpenRouter AI SDK provider README
- @openrouter/ai-sdk-provider on npm
- Release 3.1.0 (Sep 19, 2026)
- Release 3.0.0 (Jul 6, 2026)
- Release 2.9.1 (Jun 10, 2026)
- Hacker News: Claude Code 2.0
- Hacker News: Show HN: Ez FFmpeg – Video editing in plain English
- Hacker News: Svelte 5 Released
- Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
OpenRouter AI SDK provider README badge
Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:
[](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/openrouter-provider/)How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].