Start with the task.
Search by name, model ID, or description. Filter free and paid models, narrow the context window to 32K+, 128K+, or 1M+, and check tool support.
OpenRouter 
Visual Studio 2026
Use OpenRouter in
Visual Studio 2026
with your own API key.
Connect OpenRouter to your C# and .NET workspace with your own API key. Choose from the models available to your account, work with images and native web tools, and keep your API spending in sight.
Your API key. Your OpenRouter account.
OPENROUTER / MODEL DISCOVERY
Model discoveryVisionNative toolsUsage & costs
Product UI shown with demonstration data. Models, capabilities, prices, and balances depend on your OpenRouter account.
01 / Models & reasoning
The OpenRouter catalog.
A shortlist that is yours.
Discover the models available to your account, compare what matters, and pin the ones you want beside your prompt in Visual Studio 2026.
See the useful differences.
Read capability badges and input/output prices in USD per million tokens. Sort by price, largest context, newest, or name.
Keep your picker focused.
Pin individual models or select all compatible models. Your pins stay selected as you change filters. With none pinned, all compatible models are available.
The catalog reflects account credit and API key limits. If credit is exhausted or cannot be verified, discovery shows only free models. Use Test Connection to refresh after a balance or limit change.
02 / Image inputs
Show the problem.
Give your C# code more context.
A screenshot can explain what a description misses. Attach a UI capture, diagram, or error image and ask a Vision model to inspect it alongside your task.
- Choose a model with Vision and tools.The model’s capability badges help you find one that accepts images and supports the agent workflow.
- Attach the image to your prompt.Use PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP files, up to 20 MiB each. Individual models may apply additional limits.
- Turn visual feedback into a clear task.Ask about layout, labels, contrast, or what an error reveals, then continue working in your solution.
TRY IT ON YOUR NEXT TASK
“Review this settings panel. Suggest improvements to spacing, labels, and contrast for my C# desktop app.”
IMAGE + PROMPTVision model
03 / Native tools
From the web.
Into Visual Studio.
Bring documentation and current information into the conversation beside your C# or .NET solution. OpenRouter’s native tools work alongside the workspace and MCP tools available in iolys.
- Web SearchFind relevant documentation, investigate an unfamiliar error, or research a library before making a change.
- Web FetchRead a web page from its URL. Give the assistant a migration guide or API reference to use as context.
- DatetimeGet the current UTC date and time for tasks that need an accurate time reference.
Enable or disable each entry under Model Tools. Tool availability follows the model’s support and your active agent’s selection.
Native server tools are an OpenRouter beta feature and may incur additional charges. Workspace and MCP tools keep their own permission rules.
THREE NATIVE TOOLSChoose what is available
04 / Credit & budgets
Know your OpenRouter credit.
See what you have used.
Open Usage to check account credit and the spending reported for your API key, without leaving Visual Studio.
Your available OpenRouter balance.
See remaining account credit alongside today’s, this week’s, this month’s, and total key spending. A key without a spending cap is clearly marked.
A separate limit for this key.
When your key has a budget, see its consumed percentage, remaining allowance, and reported reset period. The progress bar measures the key’s budget.
Account credit can remain available after a key reaches its limit. Missing amounts appear as unavailable. Reported BYOK spending is included in the details when present; BYOK configuration stays in your OpenRouter account.
05 / Conversation costs
The work, the result.
And the reported cost.
Follow API spending where the work happens. The Est. Cost indicator can appear beside a completed turn’s duration, with more detail on hover.
- Costs reported by OpenRouter.iolys adds the monetary amounts returned by the API across model calls in a turn.
- Details behind the amount.Inspect input, output, and cached tokens, plus the session total, when that usage data is available.
- Keep conversation totals.Saved amounts survive a conversation reload. The detailed token breakdown is available during the running session.
Missing usage can make totals incomplete; no displayed amount does not necessarily mean a free request. Conversation totals are separate from account billing. The shared tooltip mentions public list prices, but OpenRouter amounts come from API-reported costs.
PER-TURN VISIBILITYEst. Cost
Connect OpenRouter
One API key. Ready for your next C# or .NET task.
Connect your own OpenRouter account, choose your models, and return to your solution in Visual Studio 2026.
- 01
Create or retrieve an API key from your OpenRouter account.
- 02
Open Manage Models in iolys, choose Add Provider, select OpenRouter, and enter your API key. The endpoint is already configured. Use Test Connection to check access and refresh the catalog.
- 03
Pin the compatible models you want in the conversation picker, then choose an OpenRouter model and start a task in your C# or .NET solution.
How can I use OpenRouter in Visual Studio for C#?
Install the iolys extension for Visual Studio 2026 and open your C# solution. Create or retrieve an API key from your OpenRouter account. Open Manage Models in iolys, choose Add Provider, select OpenRouter, and enter your API key. The endpoint is already configured. Use Test Connection to check access and refresh the catalog. Pin the compatible models you want in the conversation picker, then choose an OpenRouter model and start a task in your C# or .NET solution. You can then ask OpenRouter to help with your C# and .NET code from the iolys workspace.
Is there a VSIX extension to use OpenRouter in Visual Studio?
Yes. iolys is a VSIX extension for Visual Studio 2026, and OpenRouter is one of the provider connections it ships with. Install the iolys VSIX once from the Visual Studio Marketplace, then add OpenRouter from the Manage Providers panel; there is no separate VSIX per provider.
Does OpenRouter work in Visual Studio 2026?
Yes, with the iolys extension. It connects OpenRouter to Visual Studio 2026 with your own API key and brings the models available to your account into the active C# or .NET solution. Model discovery, conversations, supported image inputs, native web tools, and usage reporting all stay inside the IDE.
Do I need an OpenRouter API key?
Yes. Add OpenRouter in Manage Models and enter your own API key. The endpoint is preset, and usage stays attached to your OpenRouter account. iolys protects stored credentials with Windows encryption for your Windows user account.
How do I choose which OpenRouter models appear?
Search by name, model ID, or description; filter by price, context size, and tool support; then pin your preferred models. With no models pinned, all compatible available models appear in the conversation picker. Filtering does not remove existing pins.
Why can I only see free models?
Paid models require available account credit and an API key whose spending limit allows them. If credit cannot be verified, discovery shows only free models and asks you to retry Test Connection. Free models still have OpenRouter usage limits.
Can I attach images to an OpenRouter conversation in Visual Studio?
Yes, with a tool-capable model that advertises Vision support. Attach PNG, JPEG, GIF, or WebP images up to 20 MiB per file. The selected model may impose additional restrictions. This is image input for a conversation, not image generation.
Can I adjust the reasoning effort?
Yes, when the selected model explicitly advertises supported effort levels. Available choices and defaults follow that model's metadata. Generic reasoning support alone does not enable the selector.
Which native OpenRouter tools can I use in Visual Studio 2026?
Web Search finds current information, Web Fetch reads web URLs, and Datetime retrieves the current UTC date and time. Each can be disabled independently. Availability follows model tool support and the active agent's tool selection. These upstream beta tools may incur additional charges.
What is the difference between account credit and a key budget?
Account credit is the balance available in your OpenRouter account. A key budget is a separate spending cap for the configured API key. The progress bar shows consumption of that key budget, not account credit. An unlimited key can still belong to an account with no credit.
How are OpenRouter conversation costs calculated?
iolys accumulates the monetary costs reported by OpenRouter across model calls in a turn, rather than multiplying catalog prices by token counts. The Est. Cost display can include token details and a session total. Missing usage can make the total incomplete, and a missing amount does not prove a request was free. The shared tooltip's public-list-price wording does not describe the OpenRouter calculation.
Does this integration configure OpenRouter routing or BYOK?
No. The integration provides model discovery, conversations, supported image inputs, native tools, and usage reporting. Routing preferences, fallback chains, and BYOK setup are not configured in this panel. Existing BYOK spending can appear in Usage when OpenRouter reports it.
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