Add the OpenRouter MCP server to Claude Code

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run OpenRouter in Claude Code — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

Claude Code installed.
OPENROUTER_API_KEY — OpenRouter API key from openrouter.ai/keys. Required.

Setup

1. Open `~/.claude.json`

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/.claude.json

~/.claude.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openrouter": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@mcpservers/openrouterai"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "<OPENROUTER_API_KEY>",
        "OPENROUTER_DEFAULT_MODEL": "<OPENROUTER_DEFAULT_MODEL>",
        "OPENROUTER_MAX_TOKENS": "<OPENROUTER_MAX_TOKENS>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or via CLI

bash

claude mcp add openrouter -- npx -y @mcpservers/openrouterai

3. Restart Claude Code and confirm the OpenRouter tools load.

Gotchas

Claude Code stores MCP servers under an "mcpServers" object in ~/.claude.json. It also reads a project-scoped .mcp.json and supports adding servers from the command line with "claude mcp add". Each entry must declare either a "type" or a "command"; Claude Code refuses an entry that has neither. Remote servers connect natively over Streamable HTTP with OAuth.

← Back to the OpenRouter MCP server