Use OpenRouter, Gemini or OpenAI beside local models

A cloud account or subscription sits beside your own models, behind the same address, with the same keys and routing.

1. Open Backends and choose Add an external backend. On Home, Add an existing app or subscription goes to the same place.
2. Under Which app?, choose one:
   • Google Gemini API, OpenAI API, OpenRouter, xAI (Grok) or MiniMax: paste the API key the provider gave you. Make a Gemini key in Google AI Studio, at aistudio.google.com/apikey.
   • Claude (Pro/Max subscription via Claude Code CLI) or ChatGPT (subscription via Codex CLI): install that program on the machine and sign in to it first. Eugene uses its sign-in.
   • Local — Ollama or Local — LM Studio: the address and key are optional.
   • Any OpenAI-compatible server, by its URL: its Address and API key.
3. Press Add.
4. Under Which models?, keep Every model it lists, or pick One model, and press Save. A subscription asks Which model? instead.
5. Try it in the Playground, or from any app on Eugene’s address.

Good to know

• A key marked local-only never falls back to a cloud provider.
• A subscription answers as a model only. It runs no tools or shell commands on the machine hosting it.
• A model is offered tools unless the provider has shown it cannot use them, and a setting it ignores is named in the x-eugene-plexus-ignored-settings response header.
• Messages sent to a cloud provider go to that provider, and it bills you as it normally would.

Want models to search the web too? Add web search to your local models.