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Auto Free API guide

Free requests, without a deposit or money hold. Subject to availability and account limits.

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Check Auto Free availability, then create a key and save the key and recovery link. Set MINIROUTER_KEY locally and send this request.

One free Chat Completions request

curl https://api.minirouter.sh/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MINIROUTER_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"minirouter/auto:free","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Explain an API gateway in one sentence."}],"max_tokens":256}'

The response names the answering model in x-minirouter-model and reports zero in x-minirouter-cost-usd and usage.cost. You can also use the signed-in Auto Free playground.

Supported requests

Chat Completions (/v1/chat/completions), Responses (/v1/responses), and Messages (/v1/messages) support JSON and SSE for text requests. Unsupported features return an error.

Use max_output_tokens for Responses or max_tokens for Chat Completions and Messages. Add stream: true for SSE. Do not send routing overrides: models, provider, providerOptions, route, or fallbacks.

minirouter/auto:free selects poolside/laguna-s-2.1-free. Naming that exact model uses the same free path and quotas. Use one of these two IDs for no-deposit API requests.

Account limits

Limit	Allowance
Concurrent requests	1 per account
Requests per minute	5 per account
Requests per UTC day	50 per account
Input + output tokens per UTC day	100,000 per account
Estimated input per request	16,000 tokens
Output per request	2,048 tokens maximum; 1,024 by default

Limits apply across all keys on an account, alongside existing account and key limits. In-progress requests temporarily count their estimated input and maximum output toward your token allowance. Once complete, the allowance adjusts to actual usage. Requests sent to a provider count toward your request quota even if they fail.

Daily allowances reset at 00:00 UTC. Creating another key does not increase them. /me.freeInference returns eligibility, remaining requests and tokens, resetsAt, and request caps.

Errors and usage

429 free_quota_exceeded: wait for Retry-After. Raising a key limit or adding credits does not raise the free allowance.
503 auto_unresolvable: Auto Free is temporarily unavailable. Retry later; the router will not switch to paid inference.
400 invalid_request: simplify unsupported features or remove routing overrides.

View your requests in Activity. Auto Free requests always cost you $0.

Auto Free, chat trial, and paid Auto

Auto Free uses minirouter/auto:free in the API or playground, with daily quotas. Adding credits never turns it into a paid request.
Chat trial is the separate three-message offer at /chat, subject to availability. It covers browser chat, not integration API requests.
Paid Auto uses minirouter/auto or the Smart, Cheap, Code, and Roleplay intents. It uses credits and normal monetary holds. Choose a paid model explicitly to use it.

Playground conversations clear on reload; only model and reasoning preferences persist. The separate /chat flow offers account-scoped history and explicit saving.

A listed model may still be unavailable for your request. Each request must fit your account limits, key permissions, supported features, and available capacity.