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 with AnyRouter
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 use up the free daily cap 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. |
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 is capped per account per day: 10 requests/day on the Free plan and 1000 requests/day on paid plans, reset at 00
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 and do not count against the free daily cap. 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.
429 free_tier_daily_limit_exceeded — you used today's free requests. Wait for 00
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.