/llm-router

name: llm-router
description: This skill should be used when users want to route LLM requests to different AI providers (OpenAI, Grok/xAI, Groq, DeepSeek, OpenRouter) using SwiftOpenAI-CLI. Use this skill when users ask to "use grok", "ask grok", "use groq", "ask deepseek", or any similar request to query a specific LLM provider in agent mode.

LLM Router

Overview

Route AI requests to different LLM providers using SwiftOpenAI-CLI's agent mode. This skill automatically configures the CLI to use the requested provider (OpenAI, Grok, Groq, DeepSeek, or OpenRouter), ensures the tool is installed and up-to-date, and executes one-shot agentic tasks.

Core Workflow

When a user requests to use a specific LLM provider (e.g., "use grok to explain quantum computing"), follow this workflow:

Step 1: Ensure SwiftOpenAI-CLI is Ready

Check if SwiftOpenAI-CLI is installed and up-to-date:

scripts/check_install_cli.sh

This script will:

• Check if `swiftopenai` is installed
• Verify the version (minimum 1.4.4)
• Install or update if necessary
• Report the current installation status

Step 2: Configure the Provider

Based on the user's request, identify the target provider and configure SwiftOpenAI-CLI:

scripts/configure_provider.sh <provider> [model]

**Supported providers:**

• `openai` - OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-5, etc.)
• `grok` - xAI Grok models
• `groq` - Groq (Llama, Mixtral, etc.)
• `deepseek` - DeepSeek models
• `openrouter` - OpenRouter (300+ models)

**Examples:**

# Configure for Grok
scripts/configure_provider.sh grok grok-4-0709

# Configure for Groq with Llama
scripts/configure_provider.sh groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile

# Configure for DeepSeek Reasoner
scripts/configure_provider.sh deepseek deepseek-reasoner

# Configure for OpenAI GPT-5
scripts/configure_provider.sh openai gpt-5

The script automatically:

• Sets the provider configuration
• Sets the appropriate base URL
• Sets the default model
• Provides guidance on API key configuration

Step 3: Verify API Key

The configuration script automatically checks if an API key is set and will **stop with clear instructions** if no API key is found.

**If API key is missing:**

The script exits with error code 1 and displays:

• ⚠️ Warning that API key is not set
• Instructions for setting via environment variable
• Instructions for setting via config (persistent)

**Do not proceed to Step 4 if the configuration script fails due to missing API key.**

Instead, inform the user they need to set their API key first:

**Option 1 - Environment variable (session only):**

export XAI_API_KEY=xai-...           # for Grok
export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...          # for Groq
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=sk-...       # for DeepSeek
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...  # for OpenRouter
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...         # for OpenAI

**Option 2 - Config file (persistent):**

swiftopenai config set api-key <api-key-value>

After the user sets their API key, re-run the configuration script to verify.

Step 4: Execute the Agentic Task

Run the user's request using agent mode:

swiftopenai agent "<user's question or task>"

**Agent mode features:**

• One-shot task execution
• Built-in tool calling
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration support
• Conversation memory with session IDs
• Multiple output formats

**Examples:**

# Simple question
swiftopenai agent "What is quantum entanglement?"

# With specific model override
swiftopenai agent "Write a Python function" --model grok-3

# With session for conversation continuity
swiftopenai agent "Remember my name is Alice" --session-id chat-123
swiftopenai agent "What's my name?" --session-id chat-123

# With MCP tools (filesystem example)
swiftopenai agent "Read the README.md file" \
  --mcp-servers filesystem \
  --allowed-tools "mcp__filesystem__*"

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Provider Routing

**User Request:** "Use grok to explain quantum computing"

**Execution:**

# 1. Check CLI installation
scripts/check_install_cli.sh

# 2. Configure for Grok
scripts/configure_provider.sh grok grok-4-0709

# 3. Execute the task
swiftopenai agent "Explain quantum computing"

Pattern 2: Specific Model Selection

**User Request:** "Ask DeepSeek Reasoner to solve this math problem step by step"

**Execution:**

# 1. Check CLI installation
scripts/check_install_cli.sh

# 2. Configure for DeepSeek with Reasoner model
scripts/configure_provider.sh deepseek deepseek-reasoner

# 3. Execute with explicit model
swiftopenai agent "Solve x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0 step by step" --model deepseek-reasoner

Pattern 3: Fast Inference with Groq

**User Request:** "Use groq to generate code quickly"

**Execution:**

# 1. Check CLI installation
scripts/check_install_cli.sh

# 2. Configure for Groq (known for fast inference)
scripts/configure_provider.sh groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile

# 3. Execute the task
swiftopenai agent "Write a function to calculate fibonacci numbers"

Pattern 4: Access Multiple Models via OpenRouter

**User Request:** "Use OpenRouter to access Claude"

**Execution:**

# 1. Check CLI installation
scripts/check_install_cli.sh

# 2. Configure for OpenRouter
scripts/configure_provider.sh openrouter anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet

# 3. Execute with Claude via OpenRouter
swiftopenai agent "Explain the benefits of functional programming"

Provider-Specific Considerations

OpenAI (GPT-5 Models)

GPT-5 models support advanced parameters:

# Minimal reasoning for fast coding tasks
swiftopenai agent "Write a sort function" \
  --model gpt-5 \
  --reasoning minimal \
  --verbose low

# High reasoning for complex problems
swiftopenai agent "Explain quantum mechanics" \
  --model gpt-5 \
  --reasoning high \
  --verbose high

**Verbosity levels:** `low`, `medium`, `high` **Reasoning effort:** `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`

Grok (xAI)

Grok models