OpenRouter Setup

Atom uses OpenRouter for image generation. If you want to generate images in chat, you’ll need an OpenRouter account and API key. This is optional. All other AI features run through your installed agent (Claude Code or Codex).

1. Create your account

  • Go to openrouter.ai and sign up (it’s free to start).
  • Verify your email so you can create keys and manage credits.

2. Add a small balance

OpenRouter includes free trial credits in some regions when you sign up, so you can test image generation without adding funds.

  • Visit Settings → Credits and add $5—10 to start.
  • Image generation costs are minimal. A few dollars goes a long way.

3. Generate a key

  • Head to Settings → Keys and create a key for Atom (it will look like sk-or-…).
  • Copy it immediately; OpenRouter only shows each key once.

4. Paste it into Atom

  • Open Settings → OpenRouter API key inside Atom and paste your key.
  • Atom stores the key encrypted in local settings.

Quick fixes

  • Key says invalid: make sure it still exists and starts with sk-or-, then paste it again.
  • Images not generating: top up credits or raise the limit; try again after a minute if you hit rate limits.

Need more detail? OpenRouter offers full docs and support at openrouter.ai/docs.

Privacy

When you generate images, Atom sends your image prompt through OpenRouter to the AI model provider. No project data, layer information, or chat history is sent through OpenRouter. Only the image generation prompt is sent.