One API key for every AI model: route them with 9Router

Every AI tool wants its own setup. Claude Code wants one key, Cursor another, n8n a third, your agent a fourth, and when one provider rate-limits you, you’re editing four config files. It’s easier to give them all one endpoint and one key, and let a router decide who answers.

That’s what 9Router does: a self-hosted, OpenAI-compatible /v1 endpoint in front of all your providers.

What you get

• One base URL and key per tool. Every client talks to the same /v1.
• Automatic fallback. Subscriptions first, then cheap APIs, then free tiers. When one runs out or throttles, the next one answers.
• Named combos. Define coding = Claude → GLM → free fallback, and tools call coding as if it were one model.
• Usage per key. See which tool burns what, and revoke a key without touching the others.
• Fewer tokens. Tool output like git diff and grep is compressed before it’s sent, typically saving 20–40% of input tokens.

Step 1: Connect your providers

In the 9Router dashboard, add the accounts you already have: API keys, OAuth subscriptions, OpenRouter, free tiers. Put them in tiers in the order you want them tried. (Check each provider’s terms for subscription plans; some are licensed for personal use only.)

Step 2: Create a combo and keys

Make a combo such as default or coding, then issue one API key per tool or teammate. Keys are cheap; one per client makes the usage chart useful.

Step 3: Point your tools at it

Each tool gets the same two values:

Base URL: https://your-9router-address/v1
API key:  <key from the 9Router dashboard>
Model:    coding

• Coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, Continue, Roo, OpenCode): set the custom or OpenAI-compatible base URL.
• n8n: add an OpenAI credential with the custom base URL, and every AI node in every workflow uses the router.
• Hermes Agent: set it as a custom endpoint, and the agent inherits fallback for free.

Why the router should live on a server

A router on your laptop disappears when the lid closes, taking every tool with it. It needs to be always on and reachable over HTTPS from every machine.

On Cadesia, 9Router runs in its own Pod with an HTTPS Address and persistent storage for providers, combos, and usage history. Pick it in the App Library, or take a bundle: the AI Agent Router Solution pairs it with Hermes Agent, and the Workflow AI Router Solution pairs it with n8n. Comparing it with a hosted gateway? See 9Router vs OpenRouter.