OpenRouter

OpenRouter gives one key for many AI models, several of them free. It's Kotiko's default and the easiest way to start: Kotiko uses only free models unless you choose another.

Get a key

1. Open OpenRouter's keys page and sign in or create an account.
2. Select Create API Key. Give it a name you'll recognise, like "Kotiko".
3. Optional but wise: give the key a credit limit, so it can never spend more than you choose.
4. Copy the key. It starts with sk-or-. OpenRouter shows it only once.

Paste it into Kotiko

1. Open Kotiko's Settings (from the toolbar popup), then Word lookups.
2. Under Look words up with, choose OpenRouter.
3. Paste the key into OpenRouter key and select Save key.
4. Select Test. "It works" means Kotiko can look words up.

Your key stays in this browser, where web pages can't read it. It's never copied to other devices or into backups. Kotiko sends it only to OpenRouter, at https://openrouter.ai/api/v1.

What the free tier allows

Checked on 6 October 2026, from OpenRouter's limits:

• 20 lookups a minute;
• 50 lookups a day, or 1,000 a day once you have bought at least $10 of credit (the free models stay free);
• the daily count resets at midnight UTC.

Kotiko's toolbar popup shows how many lookups are left once 20 or fewer remain, and a word you add after that waits until the next day. Adding words as word = meaning never uses a lookup.

Your text and OpenRouter

OpenRouter passes the text you type to the company running the model, and some free models are run by companies that may keep or train on it. Only use services that don't keep my text in Word lookups asks OpenRouter for those that don't (fewer free models may be available). See OpenRouter's privacy policy and Kotiko's privacy policy.

A Connect OpenRouter button that signs you in without copying a key is coming; it returns to kotiko.org/connect/.