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Providers and configuration

Providers, keys and routing

Connect an AI provider, add more than one key, and choose which models your agents can use.

On this page

Where these settings live

On the host, open SettingsAI & agents. This guide uses four of the destinations there:

Destination What it is for
Connections The agent providers Lyre can launch (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot, Pi) and the accounts they use.
Agent software Install and update those tools, and manage saved profiles. Links from older builds open this same destination.
Routing How model requests are served, and which models are enabled.
Usage Activity and allowance.
Your build decides what you see

Tab names and controls depend on your installed host. The same area also carries Tools and Skills, and a build may show only the gateway settings without the full routing controls. Compare what you see here with your release notes before assuming a control exists.

You are in the right place when

you can see the Connections destination and the provider you want to add.

1 · Add a provider

  1. Install the provider’s own tool

    Lyre launches the provider’s command-line tool, so install it on the host first, following that provider’s own instructions.

  2. Sign in, or add its API key

    Where that provider requires one. Provider accounts, subscriptions and usage limits are separate from Lyre.

  3. Come back and check

    Return to SettingsAI & agentsConnections and confirm the provider is listed and available.

  4. Say something read-only

    Start a small conversation against a project and confirm you get a reply before asking for file changes. See working with an assistant.

A key is not an adapter

Adding a provider does not add a new adapter. Lyre supports the providers built into your host; a service with no adapter needs an integration, not just a key.

It worked when

the provider appears as available and answers a read-only question about your project.

2 · Add more than one key

An OmniRoute provider can hold several named keys at once. Its Use key order policy tries eligible connections by priority after retryable failures. For direct signed-in accounts and API-key pools, follow the multiple accounts and automatic fallback guide.

  1. Open routing accounts in Connections

    In Developer mode, go to SettingsAI & agentsConnections and expand Routing provider keys & accounts for the selected host.

  2. Choose Add key

    On the provider you want to extend, choose Add key. The same sheet handles a new provider and an extra key for one you already have.

  3. Name and paste each key

    Give every key a Key name you will recognise, then paste the API key. Use Add another key to queue more than one row before saving.

  4. Save

    Keys are written in the order shown. Check the provider's priorities and Use key order policy after saving; other routing policies can choose differently.

A partial save is safe

If part of a save fails, Lyre keeps the rows that did not save and retries only those; it does not duplicate a key that already saved. Editing an existing key shows a single focused form, and leaving the key field blank keeps the stored secret.

Keys are secrets

Keys travel through the host to the gateway and are never shown back to the client. Do not paste them into a project, a screenshot or a support thread.

It worked when

your keys are listed in the order you set, with no duplicates.

3 · Choose models and routes

Models & routes leads with the models that are actually enabled. A fresh host enables up to five by default. Once you choose explicitly, your selection is kept, is not capped at five, and survives a refresh. Clearing every model on purpose shows an empty state rather than silently restoring the default.

  1. Search or filter the catalogue

    Filter by provider, and note the free-tier labels where they are known.

  2. Turn on what you will use

    Each enabled model becomes selectable in a conversation.

  3. Come back later

    Reopen the tab to confirm your choice is still shown as enabled.

Different from the old default

An older host may report that the selection is not enforced instead of inventing a five-model limit. That difference is expected.

It worked when

a model you enabled is in the picker in a new conversation.

4 · Check it works

  1. Pick an enabled model

    In a conversation, choose one of the models you turned on.

  2. Send a small prompt

    Confirm a reply arrives.

  3. If a key fails, read the real state

    Check that provider’s quota and account status before adding or replacing keys.

Three different failures

Provider errors, a revoked key and a rate-limited key are different states. A rate-limited key becomes usable again when its window expires. A revoked key does not, and has to be replaced.

It worked when

your prompt comes back as a normal reply.

The live routing map

Open RoutingActivity and expand Live routing map. It is a read-only view of recent gateway traffic: one node per provider, and a moving edge for the route currently serving a request.

The map refreshes while it is open and visible, and stops when you collapse it or leave the tab. A provider with no recent requests shows its connection health rather than implying a route.

You can read it when

you can point at an edge and say which provider is currently serving your request.