Cursor + OpenRouter Setup

Use Claude-Mem in Cursor with OpenRouter’s 100+ AI models

Cursor + OpenRouter Setup

This guide walks you through setting up Claude-Mem in Cursor using OpenRouter. OpenRouter provides access to 100+ AI models from various providers, including several free options.

Model variety: Access Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and many more through a single API key.

Step 1: Get an OpenRouter API Key

1. Go to OpenRouter
2. Sign up or sign in
3. Navigate to API Keys
4. Click Create Key
5. Copy your API key - you’ll need it in Step 3

Free models available: OpenRouter offers free versions of several models including Gemini Flash and others. Check the model list for current free options.

Step 2: Clone and Build Claude-Mem

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem.git
cd claude-mem

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Build the project
bun run build

Step 3: Configure OpenRouter Provider

Option A: Interactive Setup (Recommended)

Run the setup wizard which guides you through everything:

bun run cursor:setup

When prompted for provider, select OpenRouter.

Option B: Manual Configuration

Create the settings file manually:

# Create settings directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude-mem

# Create settings file with OpenRouter configuration
cat > ~/.claude-mem/settings.json << 'EOF'
{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
}
EOF

Replace YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY with your actual API key.

Then install hooks and start the worker:

bun run cursor:install
bun run worker:start

Step 4: Restart Cursor

Close and reopen Cursor IDE for the hooks to take effect.

Step 5: Verify Installation

# Check worker is running
bun run worker:status

# Check hooks are installed
bun run cursor:status

Open the worker URL printed on startup to see the memory viewer.

Recommended Models

Free Models

Model	Provider	Notes
google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free	Google	Fast, capable
xiaomi/mimo-v2-flash:free	Xiaomi	Good general purpose

Paid Models (Low Cost)

Model	Approx. Cost	Notes
anthropic/claude-3-haiku	~$0.25/1M tokens	Fast, efficient
google/gemini-flash-1.5	~$0.075/1M tokens	Great value
mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct	~$0.07/1M tokens	Budget option

To specify a model, add to your settings:

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "your-key",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_MODEL": "google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free"
}

Custom OpenAI-Compatible Endpoints

The OpenRouter provider is a generic OpenAI-compatible client. Set CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_BASE_URL to point it at any endpoint that speaks the OpenAI /chat/completions API — DeepSeek, a local LM Studio server, or any custom gateway. The model id you set in CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_MODEL is sent verbatim.

Base URL resolution: When CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_BASE_URL is empty (default), requests go to OpenRouter unchanged. When set, claude-mem POSTs to <base_url>/chat/completions — you can supply either a base like https://api.deepseek.com/v1 (the /chat/completions path is appended automatically) or a full .../chat/completions URL (used verbatim). Trailing slashes are normalized. The environment variable OPENROUTER_BASE_URL is honored as a fallback.

DeepSeek

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_MODEL": "deepseek-chat",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"
}

LM Studio (local model)

LM Studio exposes an OpenAI-compatible server. No API key is required for local use, and you can use any model id you have loaded.

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:1234/v1",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_MODEL": "your-local-model-id"
}

Generic custom endpoint

Any OpenAI-compatible gateway works the same way:

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_BASE_URL": "https://my-gateway.example.com/v1",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_MODEL": "model-id",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY"
}

Cost Management

OpenRouter charges per token. To manage costs:

1. Use free models: Several high-quality free models are available
2. Monitor usage: Check your OpenRouter dashboard
3. Set spending limits: Configure limits in OpenRouter settings

Cost awareness: Unlike Gemini’s free tier, OpenRouter paid models charge per request. Monitor your usage if using paid models.

Troubleshooting

”OpenRouter API key not configured”

Ensure your settings file exists with the correct format:

cat ~/.claude-mem/settings.json

Should output something like:

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "openrouter",
  "CLAUDE_MEM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "sk-or-..."
}

Model not found

1. Check the model ID is correct at OpenRouter Models
2. Some models may require payment - check if you have credits
3. Free models have :free suffix in their ID

Rate limits

OpenRouter rate limits vary by model and your account tier. If you hit limits:

1. Wait briefly and retry
2. Consider upgrading your OpenRouter account tier
3. Switch to a less popular model

API errors

Check the worker logs for details:

bun run worker:logs

Common issues:

• Invalid API key (regenerate at OpenRouter)
• Insufficient credits for paid models
• Model temporarily unavailable

Switching Providers Later

You can switch between OpenRouter, Gemini, and Claude SDK at any time by updating your settings. No restart required - changes take effect on the next observation.

{
  "CLAUDE_MEM_PROVIDER": "gemini"
}

Next Steps

• Cursor Integration Overview - All Cursor features
• Gemini Setup - Alternative free provider
• Configuration Reference - All settings options