AI providers

OpenPost's server-side AI features use OpenRouter. They are optional. Without an OpenRouter key, people can still write, edit, schedule, and publish posts; the AI builder and automatic image captions are unavailable.

Add a key

1. Create an API key in OpenRouter. Check the account's billing and model access before inviting others to use generation.
2. Add the key to the .env file used by your OpenPost container. Choose model IDs available to that key:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your-openrouter-key
OPENPOST_TEXT_GENERATION_MODEL=openai/gpt-5.6-luna
OPENPOST_IMAGE_CAPTION_MODEL=openai/gpt-5.6-luna

Run docker compose up -d --force-recreate openpost to recreate the container with the new environment.

The text model builds publication copy from an idea. The image caption model writes suggested alt text. The shown IDs match this release's defaults; confirm that OpenRouter still offers them before relying on the example.

You can leave the model values unset to use OpenPost's defaults. OPENPOST_CONTENT_AI_PROVIDER optionally selects an exact OpenRouter provider for text and meme generation. OPENPOST_CONTENT_AI_REQUIRE_ZDR=true restricts those requests to zero-retention endpoints. Use it only after checking that the selected model and provider support that policy. OpenRouter documents its per-request zero-retention behavior. Image captions have separate OPENPOST_IMAGE_CAPTION_PROVIDER and OPENPOST_IMAGE_CAPTION_REQUIRE_ZDR settings when you need different routing.

Keep the key on the server. You can use OPENROUTER_API_KEY_FILE for a mounted secret file instead of putting the value in .env. Do not put it in a publication, prompt, log, or browser code.

Check the setup

1. Open a new publication and ask the AI builder to turn a short idea into a draft. Review the generated copy before saving or publishing.
2. Add an image with no existing alt text to the composer and generate a caption. Review it before publishing. Existing alt text is kept.

Post generation sends the idea and selected context to the configured model through OpenRouter. Automatic alt text sends a 400 px JPEG thumbnail and up to 1,000 characters of relevant post text, rather than the original image. Background removal, video editing, and local transcription run in the browser and do not require this key.

If a request fails, check the container logs for an OpenRouter error, then check the key, model ID, balance, provider slug, and zero-retention setting. A text-only model may not be suitable for image captions.