Quick setup
Open the kRouter dashboard at http://localhost:20128
Go to Providers → click Poolside
Paste your API key, click Save
Test the connection
Use in your IDE
Point any OpenAI-compatible client at kRouter using your local API key.
# Endpoint
http://localhost:20128/v1
# API key (from Dashboard → API Keys)
sk-krouter-XXXX
# Model
ps/<model-id>How Poolside billing works with kRouter
Poolside gives you free starting credits, then bills per token. kRouter tracks the remaining quota and fails over to another provider before you hit a wall. kRouter authenticates it via apikey. Its catalog is fetched live, so new models appear without a kRouter update.
Through kRouter, Poolside serves chat and code completion. Requests reach it through the same local OpenAI-compatible endpoint as every other provider, so switching to or from Poolside is a one-line model change in your client rather than a rewrite.
Laguna models (OpenAI-compatible, reasoning-capable). Requires a Poolside API key.
Poolside links
Poolside FAQ
Is Poolside free through kRouter?
Poolside is pay-per-token: you bring your own API key and are billed by Poolside at their rates. kRouter adds nothing on top and is free and MIT-licensed.
How do I use Poolside with Claude Code or Cursor?
Connect Poolside in the kRouter dashboard, then point your tool at kRouter's local endpoint (http://localhost:20128/v1) with a kRouter API key. Any OpenAI-compatible client works, and models are addressed as poolside/<model>.
What happens when Poolside is rate limited?
kRouter detects the limit, parks that account until its real reset time, and fails over to your next connected account or provider — so the request still completes instead of erroring.