OpenRouter says Claude Code can run past plan usage limits on pay-per-token API keys
Overview
OpenRouter says Claude Code users can point the tool at a pay-per-token OpenRouter API key and keep using the same Claude models without the five-hour and weekly plan limits.
The setup takes three environment variables, according to OpenRouter's blog post, which recommends Claude Sonnet 5.5 as the starting model.
The post gives typical costs for a short session: $0.16 on Sonnet 5.5, $0.31 on Opus 5.5, and under one cent on Haiku 5.5. It also warns that the cost Claude Code prints can overstate what is billed, citing a run that showed $0.375 but was billed $0.008.
Written by AI from the articles below · updated Oct 28, 11:59 AM ET
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- OpenRouter BlogOfficialOpenRouter lets Claude Code users keep coding past plan usage limits
AIOpenRouter says Claude Code can run on a pay-per-token OpenRouter API key with the same Claude models and no five-hour or weekly limits. Users set three environment variables, and the post recommends Claude Sonnet 5.5 as the starting model, with a typical short session costing $0.16 on Sonnet 5.5, $0.31 on Opus 5.5, and under one cent on Haiku 5.5. The post also warns that Claude Code's printed cost can overstate billing, citing $0.375 shown for a run billed $0.008.
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