> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wednesdayai.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Vercel AI Gateway

> Route WednesdayAI traffic through Vercel AI Gateway — a unified endpoint for hundreds of models.

# Vercel AI Gateway

The [Vercel AI Gateway](https://vercel.com/ai-gateway) provides a unified API to access hundreds of models through a single endpoint, with built-in observability and rate limiting.

<Note>
  Vercel AI Gateway does not host models itself. It proxies requests to underlying providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.). You still need a Vercel AI Gateway API key.
</Note>

## Prerequisites

* A Vercel account with AI Gateway enabled
* An AI Gateway API key (`AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`)

## Quick setup

### 1. Get an API key

In the Vercel dashboard, enable AI Gateway and create an API key. Store it on the gateway host:

```bash theme={"dark"}
echo 'AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY=your-key-here' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
```

### 2. Run onboarding

```bash theme={"dark"}
openclaw onboard --auth-choice ai-gateway-api-key
```

Or non-interactive:

```bash theme={"dark"}
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
  --mode local \
  --auth-choice ai-gateway-api-key \
  --ai-gateway-api-key "$AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY"
```

### 3. Configure

```json5 theme={"dark"}
{
  models: {
    providers: {
      "vercel-ai-gateway": {
        apiKey: "AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY", // references the env var
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "vercel-ai-gateway/anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" },
    },
  },
}
```

<Note>
  `apiKey` is the name of the environment variable, not the key value itself. Keep secrets in `.env`, not in committed config files.
</Note>

## Provider settings

| Setting      | Value                         |
| ------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Provider ID  | `vercel-ai-gateway`           |
| API          | Anthropic Messages compatible |
| Auth env var | `AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`          |

## Model ID format

Model IDs follow the Vercel AI Gateway routing format: `vercel-ai-gateway/<upstream-provider>/<model-id>`.

WednesdayAI accepts Claude shorthand model refs and normalises them at runtime:

| Shorthand                           | Resolved as                                   |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `vercel-ai-gateway/claude-opus-4.6` | `vercel-ai-gateway/anthropic/claude-opus-4-6` |
| `vercel-ai-gateway/opus-4.6`        | `vercel-ai-gateway/anthropic/claude-opus-4-6` |

## Verification

```bash theme={"dark"}
openclaw models status --probe-provider vercel-ai-gateway
```

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="401 Unauthorized">
    The API key is invalid or missing. Regenerate it in the Vercel dashboard and update `~/.openclaw/.env`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Model not found">
    Confirm the model ID path matches the Vercel AI Gateway routing format. Check the [Vercel AI Gateway docs](https://vercel.com/ai-gateway) for supported providers and model IDs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Upstream provider error">
    Vercel AI Gateway forwards errors from the underlying provider. Verify the upstream provider is enabled in your Vercel AI Gateway configuration.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [AI providers overview](/admin/providers/index)
* [Reference: config](/reference/config)