openrouter-fallback-config

Openrouter Fallback Config

Overview

This skill shows how to configure fallback model chains so requests automatically retry with alternative models when the primary model is unavailable or errors.

Prerequisites

• OpenRouter integration
• Multiple models identified as primary and fallback options

Instructions

1. Use OpenRouter's native fallback: Pass an array of model IDs in the models field (instead of model) — OpenRouter will try each in order until one succeeds
2. Set per-model parameters: Use the route field with "fallback" strategy to let OpenRouter handle failover automatically
3. Implement client-side fallback: For more control, catch 5xx or timeout errors and retry with the next model in your own fallback list
4. Configure timeout thresholds: Set request_timeout per attempt so slow models fail fast and the fallback triggers quickly
5. Test the chain: Temporarily use an invalid model ID as primary to verify your fallback chain activates correctly

Output

• A fallback chain that transparently retries with alternative models
• Reduced downtime when individual models or providers have outages
• Logs showing which model ultimately served each request

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
All fallbacks exhausted	Every model in the chain failed	Add more diverse fallbacks across providers; alert on full chain failure
Slow cascading retries	Each model timing out sequentially	Reduce per-model timeout to 10-15 seconds; use parallel fallback instead
Inconsistent responses	Different models in the chain have different capabilities	Ensure all fallback models support the features your prompt uses (e.g., tool calling)

See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/errors.md for full error reference.

Examples

See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/examples.md for runnable code samples.

Resources

• OpenRouter Documentation
• OpenRouter Models
• OpenRouter API Reference
• OpenRouter Status