> **ClawRouter** is an open-source smart LLM router that reduces AI API costs by up to 92%. It analyzes each request across 15 dimensions and routes to the cheapest capable model in under 1ms, entirely locally. ClawRouter is the only LLM router built for autonomous AI agents โ it uses wallet signatures for authentication (no API keys) and USDC micropayments via the x402 protocol (no credit cards). 55+ models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, DeepSeek, and more. MIT licensed.
---
## Why ClawRouter exists
Every other LLM router was built for **human developers** โ create an account, get an API key, pick a model from a dashboard, pay with a credit card.
**Agents can't do any of that.**
ClawRouter is built for the agent-first world:
- **Starts at $0** โ 8 NVIDIA models are free forever (incl. 675B Mistral Large 3, 262K-context Qwen3-Next 80B + a vision-capable Nemotron Omni)
- **No accounts** โ a wallet is generated locally, no signup
- **No API keys** โ your wallet signature IS authentication
- **No model selection** โ 15-dimension scoring picks the right model automatically
- **No credit cards** โ agents pay per-request with USDC via [x402](https://x402.org)
- **No trust required** โ runs locally, <1ms routing, zero external dependencies
This is the stack that lets agents operate autonomously: **x402 + USDC + local routing**.
---
## How it compares
| | OpenRouter | LiteLLM | Martian | Portkey | **ClawRouter** |
| ---------------- | ----------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- |
| **Models** | 200+ | 100+ | Smart routing | Gateway | **55+** |
| **Free tier** | Rate-limited | BYO keys | No | No | **8 models, no signup** |
| **Routing** | Manual selection | Manual selection | Smart (closed) | Observability | **Smart (open source)** |
| **Auth** | Account + API key | Your API keys | Account + API key | Account + API key | **Wallet signature** |
| **Payment** | Credit card | BYO keys | Credit card | $49-499/mo | **USDC per-request** |
| **Runs locally** | No | Yes | No | No | **Yes** |
| **Open source** | No | Yes | No | Partial | **Yes** |
| **Agent-ready** | No | No | No | No | **Yes** |
โ Open source ยท โ Smart routing ยท โ Runs locally ยท โ Crypto native ยท โ Agent ready
**We're the only one that checks all five boxes.**
---
## Quick Start
> **No wallet? 8 models work free out of the box.** Install, run, and pin `free/mistral-large-3-675b` (or any of the 8) โ no crypto, no signup, no balance required. Add USDC later when you want paid models.
### Option A โ OpenClaw Agent
[OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) is an AI coding agent. If you're using it, ClawRouter installs as a plugin. **Two paths:**
**A1. Recommended โ one-shot install script:**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://blockrun.ai/ClawRouter-update | bash
openclaw gateway restart
```
This handles everything: registration, models config, auth profile, wallet setup. Smart routing (`blockrun/auto`) is now your default model.
**A2. If you prefer pure npm:**
```bash
npm install -g @blockrun/clawrouter
clawrouter setup # finishes OpenClaw integration โ REQUIRED
openclaw gateway restart
```
> โ ๏ธ **Skipping `clawrouter setup` will leave you broken.** Bare `npm install -g` only puts the package on disk; it does NOT register the plugin with OpenClaw, sync the models allowlist, or write the auth profile. Symptom: `/models` in your bot shows only ~7 entries (OpenClaw's hardcoded defaults) instead of the full ~44 BlockRun models. Run `clawrouter setup` to repair, or use path A1 to begin with.
### Option B โ Standalone (continue.dev, Cursor, VS Code, any OpenAI-compatible client)
> **Using Claude Code?** Check out [BRCC](https://blockrun.ai/brcc.md) โ it's purpose-built for Claude Code with the same smart routing and x402 payments.
>
> **Using NousResearch Hermes?** See [ClawRouter-Hermes](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes) โ a Python plugin that wires Hermes into the ClawRouter proxy. Same wallet, same 55+ models, same x402 USDC settlement on Base & Solana.
No OpenClaw required. ClawRouter runs as a local proxy on port 8402.
**1. Start the proxy**
```bash
npx @blockrun/clawrouter
```
**2. Fund your wallet** โ optional, skip for free tier
Your wallet address is printed on first run. For paid models, send a few USDC on Base or Solana โ $5 covers thousands of requests. To stay at $0, pin any of the 8 free models (e.g. `free/mistral-large-3-675b`) or use `/model free` inside OpenClaw.
**3. Point your client at `http://localhost:8402`**