OpenRouter: Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

This model is no longer free. See free alternatives.
openrouter/qwen-qwen3-vl-235b-a22b-thinking
Released Sep 23, 2025 · 131K context ·
chat reasoning

Qwen3-VL-235B-A22B Thinking is a multimodal model that unifies strong text generation with visual understanding across images and video. The Thinking model is optimized for multimodal reasoning in STEM and math. The series emphasizes robust perception (recognition of diverse real-world and synthetic categories), spatial understanding (2D/3D grounding), and long-form visual comprehension, with competitive results on public multimodal benchmarks for both perception and reasoning. Beyond analysis, Qwen3-VL supports agentic interaction and tool use: it can follow complex instructions over multi-image, multi-turn dialogues; align text to video timelines for precise temporal queries; and operate GUI elements for automation tasks. The models also enable visual coding workflows, turning sketches or mockups into code and assisting with UI debugging, while maintaining strong text-only performance comparable to the flagship Qwen3 language models. This makes Qwen3-VL suitable for production scenarios spanning document AI, multilingual OCR, software/UI assistance, spatial/embodied tasks, and research on vision-language agents.

Try Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

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: Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

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 "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking"

Gemini CLI

# ~/.gemini/settings.json
{
  "apiKey": "<your-api-key>",
  "model": "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking"
}
# 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": {
        "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking": { "name": "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking" }
      }
    }
  }
}
// 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: Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
  provider: custom
  base_url: ${CUSTOM_BASE_URL}
  api_key: ${CUSTOM_API_KEY}
  model_aliases:
    Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking:
      model: "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking"
      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": "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking",
      },
    },
  },
  "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": "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking", "name": "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking" },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
}
// Apply: openclaw gateway restart
// Verify: openclaw doctor --fix

FAQ

Is it really free?

No, Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking was previously free but has since transitioned to a paid model. Browse our free model directory for alternatives.

How to use it with Cursor?

Go to Cursor Settings > Models, add a custom model named "Qwen: Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking", and set the Base URL to "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1".