OpenRouter API key added but not connecting — routing still set to Default instead of Custom

[Giri-Aayush]

User Lobster reported an issue on 21/05/2026 but provided no description — only screenshots (not retrieved). Version not confirmed despite team asking on 21/05.

Connor diagnosed the issue on 22/05/2026 from the screenshot: user had added an OpenRouter API key but routing was still set to Default, preventing OpenRouter from being used. Additionally, the OpenAI toggle was left on alongside OpenRouter, causing a conflict.

Fix provided
Switch routing from Default to Custom Routing and select the desired model. Disable the OpenAI toggle and keep only OpenRouter active. If on the free OpenRouter plan, use "OpenRouter (Auto)" for automatic model selection.

This is a UX/onboarding issue — the routing mode does not automatically switch to Custom when a third-party API key is added, leaving users in a broken state silently. Resolution unconfirmed — follow-up sent 25/05/2026, no response.

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Reported by: @Lobsterqq
Discord ticket: https://discord.com/channels/1470856511193616498/1506869573431853127
Priority: medium

[sanil-23]

Closing as works as intended.

Adding a provider API key stores the credential only — it deliberately does not re-route traffic. Routing is per-workload and stays on Managed (Default) until the user explicitly chooses to use their own provider; auto-switching would silently pick a model and start spending on the user's key without consent, which we don't want.

To actually use OpenRouter (the workaround):

1. Settings → AI → routing: switch from Default to Use Your Own Models (or Advanced for per-workload control).
2. Pick the OpenRouter model to route to (on the free plan, use OpenRouter (Auto)).
3. Disable the OpenAI toggle if it's on alongside OpenRouter — having both active causes the conflict noted in the report.

The routing engine itself is working correctly; the only gap here is discoverability (the panel doesn't nudge you toward the routing step after a key is saved). That's a minor UX nicety, not a functional defect, so we're not tracking it as a bug.

Note: while triaging this we did find and fix a separate routing bug — disabling a local runtime (Ollama/LM Studio) left workloads orphaned, pointing at the removed runtime. That fix is in #3167.