# Create your OpenRouter account and key

> Sign up at OpenRouter, add some credit, and make a key with a spending limit for your Chirps.

Source: https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/openrouter/create-account-and-key  
Plans: Essentials, Creator, Business, Academy  
Last checked: 2026-10-26

When you're done, you'll have an OpenRouter key, ready to paste into Chirp Builder.

**Who can do this:** anyone can make an OpenRouter account. To connect the key, you need a Chirp
Builder plan: the card in **Settings** appears once you have one.

**What you'll need:** an email address, or a Google or GitHub account, and a card or other payment
method for OpenRouter's credit. OpenRouter is a separate company; its own terms apply, and you must be
18 or over to use it.

The **AI provider: OpenRouter** card in your Chirp Builder **Settings** links straight to the pages you
need:

![The AI provider: OpenRouter card in Settings with the links Create one at openrouter.ai and openrouter.ai/keys.](https://mjmtbasmrtksluvlnema.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/help-media/web-optimized/openrouter/create-account-and-key/SS-OR-005-01__settings-links__essentials__detail__v01.webp?v=8097d8799d)

## Make your account and key

1. Go to [openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai) and sign up, with your email or a Google or GitHub
   account. In Chirp Builder, the **Create one at openrouter.ai** link (1) takes you there.
2. Add credit. At OpenRouter, open **Credits** (in your account settings) and buy some credit; $5 is the
   smallest purchase. OpenRouter adds a small fee when you buy credit, not on each answer.
3. Open [openrouter.ai/keys](https://openrouter.ai/keys) (2), the **Keys** page, and create a new key.
4. Give the key a name you'll recognize, such as **Chirp Builder**, and set a **credit limit**, for
   example $20, with a monthly reset. The limit is the most this key can ever spend in that period. See
   [Keep your AI spending in check](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/openrouter/spending-limits).
5. Copy the key. It starts with `sk-or-`. Keep it somewhere safe; treat it like a password.

## What success looks like

You have a key that starts with `sk-or-` and some credit in your OpenRouter account. Now
[connect your OpenRouter key](https://www.chirpbuilder.com/help/openrouter/connect-key) to Chirp Builder.

## If it doesn't work

- **You lost the key, or can't see it again.** Make a new one on the **Keys** page and delete the old
  one there. Then use **Replace** in Chirp Builder's Settings.
- **Chirp Builder says "Insufficient credits"** after you connect it. Your OpenRouter account needs
  credit; add some at OpenRouter, then click **Check again**.

## Good to know

- Use a separate key for Chirp Builder, not one you use elsewhere. Then its limit and its usage only
  cover your Chirps.
- OpenRouter's **Activity** page shows every request and what it cost, and you can filter it by key.
- OpenRouter can also top up your credit automatically when it runs low. If you turn that on, a
  credit limit on the key matters even more.