Continue with AnyRouter — free models, one API key

Point Continue's config.yaml at AnyRouter's OpenAI-compatible base URL. Run free models with anyrouter/free, or any model with one key.

Continue talks to any OpenAI-compatible API through its openai provider and an apiBase override. Point it at AnyRouter and you get free models through anyrouter/free, every catalog model behind one sk-ar- key, and a log row for each request.

Set it up

Open Dashboard → Keys and create a key. Every AnyRouter inference key starts with sk-ar-.

Edit ~/.continue/config.yaml (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.continue\config.yaml) and add models with provider: openai and AnyRouter's base URL:

name: My Config
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1

models:
  - name: AnyRouter Free
    provider: openai
    model: anyrouter/free
    apiBase: https://anyrouter.dev/api/v1
    apiKey: ${{ secrets.ANYROUTER_API_KEY }}
    roles:
      - chat
      - edit
      - apply

  - name: AnyRouter Auto
    provider: openai
    model: anyrouter/auto
    apiBase: https://anyrouter.dev/api/v1
    apiKey: ${{ secrets.ANYROUTER_API_KEY }}

Store your sk-ar- key as the ANYROUTER_API_KEY secret rather than pasting it into the file. For a local config.yaml, add ANYROUTER_API_KEY=sk-ar-... to ~/.continue/.env; on Continue Hub, add it as a secret.

Choose AnyRouter Free in Continue's model picker, send a message, then open your request logs. The request appears with the model that answered, tokens, and cost.

Don't give anyrouter/free the autocomplete role. Continue sends a request on almost every keystroke, which would flood the free-model rate limit in minutes; keep autocomplete on a separate fast model.

Which model id to use

Model id	What it does
`anyrouter/free`	Routes to the best free model available right now, with automatic fallback. No credits used. Needs Go.
`anyrouter/auto`	Picks from top models (free and paid) with health-aware failover. Paid members use credits.
`owner/model`	A specific model, for example `z-ai/glm-5.2`. Copy ids from the catalog.

Free models

anyrouter/free costs nothing and needs no provider keys. It needs the Go plan ($2/mo, or free when you donate one working provider key) and has no daily cap. Details: Free Tier.

Bring your own keys

Already pay for a provider? Add its key in AnyRouter and Continue uses it through the same apiBase. BYOK requests are billed by your provider. See Use your own provider keys and BYOK.

Troubleshooting

401 — apiKey does not resolve to an active sk-ar- key. Check the secret name and the key in Dashboard → Keys.

404 or model not found — model must match an AnyRouter id exactly, including the owner/ prefix, and apiBase must end in /api/v1.

400 no_eligible_models on anyrouter/auto or anyrouter/free — your privacy or routing settings (for example Zero Data Retention or blocked providers) excluded every candidate. Relax them in the dashboard, or pick a specific model.

AnyRouter CLI
Cline · Kilo Code · OpenCode · Claude Code · Codex
Free Tier