OpenRouter: Owl Alpha

openrouter/openrouter-owl-alpha
Released Apr 28, 2026 · 1.0M context · Free
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Owl Alpha is a high-performance foundation model designed for agentic workloads. Natively supports tool use, and long-context tasks, with strong performance in code generation, automated workflows, and complex instruction execution. Compatible with Claude Code, OpenClaw, and other mainstream productivity tools. Note: Prompts and completions may be logged by the provider and used to improve the model.

Try Owl Alpha

Test this model directly in the playground.

Click to start testing in Playground...

One-Click Config

Optimized configs for your favorite AI tools.

Claude Code

# Claude Code works via OpenRouter's Anthropic-compatible API.
# Note: Only paid Anthropic Claude models are supported (e.g. claude-sonnet-4.6, claude-opus-4).
# Browse available Claude models at: https://openrouter.ai/models?q=anthropic

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="<your-openrouter-api-key>"  # Get at https://openrouter.ai/settings/keys
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""  # Must be explicitly empty to avoid conflicts

# Optional: pin specific models for each role
# export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6"
# export ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL="anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5"

# Then simply run: claude

Cursor

# Cursor → Settings (⚙️) → Models → Add Model
# Enter the model name exactly as shown, then fill in:
#   Override OpenAI Base URL: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
#   OpenAI API Key: <your-api-key>   # Get at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys
# Click "Verify" to confirm the connection, then enable the model.
#
# Model name to add: Owl Alpha

Codex

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="<your-api-key>"  # Get at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys

# Then run:
codex --model "Owl Alpha"

Gemini CLI

# ~/.gemini/settings.json
{
  "apiKey": "<your-api-key>",
  "model": "Owl Alpha"
}
# Get API key at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys

OpenCode

// ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "provider": {
    "free-llm": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "Free LLM",
      "options": {
        "baseURL": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
        "apiKey": "<your-api-key>"
      },
      "models": {
        "Owl Alpha": { "name": "Owl Alpha" }
      }
    }
  }
}
// Get API key at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys

Hermes

# Step 1 — Edit config.yaml
# Windows: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\hermes\config.yaml
# macOS/Linux: ~/.config/hermes/config.yaml

model:
  default: Owl Alpha
  provider: custom
  base_url: ${CUSTOM_BASE_URL}
  api_key: ${CUSTOM_API_KEY}
  model_aliases:
    Owl Alpha:
      model: "Owl Alpha"
      provider: "custom"

# Step 2 — Edit .env (same directory as config.yaml)
# Windows: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\hermes\.env
# macOS/Linux: ~/.config/hermes/.env

# ========================
# Custom API (OpenAI-compatible)
# ========================
CUSTOM_API_KEY=<your-api-key>        # Get at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys
CUSTOM_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1

OpenClaw

// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json  (JSON5 format)
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "Owl Alpha",
      },
    },
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      // Option A — Built-in provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google…)
      // Just add apiKey; OpenClaw handles the baseUrl automatically
      // "openai": { "apiKey": "<your-api-key>" },

      // Option B — Custom OpenAI-compatible base URL (e.g. OpenRouter, NVIDIA)
      "free-llm": {
        "baseUrl": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
        "apiKey": "<your-api-key>",  // Get at https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys
        "api": "openai-completions", // openai-completions | anthropic-messages | …
        "models": [
          { "id": "Owl Alpha", "name": "Owl Alpha" },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
}
// Apply: openclaw gateway restart
// Verify: openclaw doctor --fix

FAQ

Is it really free?

Yes, Owl Alpha is provided as part of OpenRouter's free tier. A credit card may be needed for verification.

How to use it with Cursor?

Go to Cursor Settings > Models, add a custom model named "Owl Alpha", and set the Base URL to "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1".