OrcaRouter — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Connects agents to a catalog of 160+ models and routes completions through fallback chains directly in your editor.
claude mcp add --env ORCAROUTER_API_KEY=<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY> --env ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL=<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL> --env ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT=<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT> --transport stdio orcarouter -- npx -y @orcarouter/mcpWhat OrcaRouter does
This server connects developer clients directly to the OrcaRouter gateway. Tools such as orcarouter_models_list and orcarouter_model_card fetch live pricing, context window limits, and latency figures. Catalog inspection requires no account token.
Executing prompts with orcarouter_chat routes completions through specific endpoints or the orcarouter/auto selector. That selector balances cost, quality, or adaptive scoring while supporting fallback lists of up to 4 backup models.
Node.js 18 or higher must be present on your host. If ORCAROUTER_API_KEY is omitted, prompt calls immediately fail, though model lookup commands remain active.
What it helps with
- compare live LLM rates and context limits across multiple hosts
- configure automated model failover with up to 4 fallbacks
- route prompts through adaptive selection algorithms
- inspect model latency and supported endpoints before querying
Example prompts for the agent
- List all available Anthropic models and their prices
- Retrieve the detailed card for model
minimax/minimax-m2.7 - Ask
orcarouter/autoto explain quantum computing principles
How to install OrcaRouter
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env ORCAROUTER_API_KEY=<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY> --env ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL=<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL> --env ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT=<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT> --transport stdio orcarouter -- npx -y @orcarouter/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add orcarouter --env ORCAROUTER_API_KEY=<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY> --env ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL=<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL> --env ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT=<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT> -- npx -y @orcarouter/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"orcarouter": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@orcarouter/mcp"
],
"env": {
"ORCAROUTER_API_KEY": "<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY>",
"ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL": "<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL>",
"ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"orcarouter": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@orcarouter/mcp"
],
"env": {
"ORCAROUTER_API_KEY": "<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY>",
"ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL": "<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL>",
"ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e ORCAROUTER_API_KEY=<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY> -e ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL=<ORCAROUTER_BASE_URL> -e ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT=<ORCAROUTER_REQUEST_TIMEOUT> orcarouter npx -y @orcarouter/mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about OrcaRouter
How to install OrcaRouter in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add orcarouter-mcp -e ORCAROUTER_API_KEY=<ORCAROUTER_API_KEY> -- npx -y @orcarouter/mcp in your terminal.
What does OrcaRouter do?
It exposes tools to inspect model metrics, search providers, and execute chat completions with automated failover.
Is an API key required to browse models?
Catalog lookup works freely without any token. You only need to set ORCAROUTER_API_KEY when executing chat prompts through orcarouter_chat.
