Why do I get 403 or access denied?

Use a Management Key, not a model API key. Do not substitute a key-limit endpoint for account credits.

Why do I get 401 after expiry?

Check expiry and revocation. Create replacement credentials on the official platform and update them through the secure form, never through an agent.

Why is there no individual key balance?

This monitors account credits. Key spending caps and remaining budgets are restrictions, not separate funds.

Why does OpenRouter return 402 Payment Required?

OpenRouter documents 402 as insufficient credits on the account or the API key. Check error.metadata.limit_source in the response: openrouter_credits means the account balance cannot cover the request; openrouter_key_limit means that key's own credit limit is used up, even if the account still has credits; openrouter_in_flight_budget means running requests filled the in-flight spending budget, so wait for Retry-After and retry. Add credits for account-level errors, or raise the key's limit or wait for it to reset.

Check OpenRouter Credits and Usage: Management Key Setup

Live test reported

Guide updated 2026-10-10

A user reported a successful live-account test on September 26, 2026. This does not verify every account, error condition, or MCP flow. Compare with your own official Credits page.

Required credentials: Management Key
Monitoring currency: USD · US dollar
What is monitored: Account credit balance; Exact decimal subtraction of total_usage from total_credits returned by /api/v1/credits, not an estimate based on token prices.

How to check OpenRouter credits manually

Sign in and open the Credits page to see the account's remaining credits; you can also add credits there.
If a key has its own credit limit, call GET /api/v1/key with that key to see limit_remaining and its usage.

Open official OpenRouter page

Connect OpenRouter to Quota Monitor

Open Management Keys
Sign in to the OpenRouter account you use and open Management API Keys. Do not create a regular model key as a substitute.
Open official OpenRouter page(opens in a new tab)
Create and save a Management Key
Choose Create New Key, name it for Quota Monitor, and set an expiry. Save the full value securely; it will not be displayed again. Never include it in screenshots or chat.
Connect it to your project
Choose OpenRouter in your project, enter the Management Key in the secure field, review the permission warning, and save. Amounts are in USD.
Verify official credits
Refresh and check the new successful query time. Compare the same account’s remaining Credits, not a key limit. Check the account and timestamps if amounts differ.
Open official OpenRouter page(opens in a new tab)

What Quota Monitor reads from OpenRouter

Regular model API keys cannot read this endpoint. A key limit is never substituted for an account balance.
Keys and projects may share account credits. BYOK provider wallets are excluded.
The dashboard shows the latest successful snapshot. Manual refresh queries the provider again but cannot eliminate upstream billing delays. An old balance is not a new result after a failed query.

OpenRouter FAQ and troubleshooting

Why do I get 403 or access denied?: Use a Management Key, not a model API key. Do not substitute a key-limit endpoint for account credits.
Why do I get 401 after expiry?: Check expiry and revocation. Create replacement credentials on the official platform and update them through the secure form, never through an agent.
Why is there no individual key balance?: This monitors account credits. Key spending caps and remaining budgets are restrictions, not separate funds.
Why does OpenRouter return 402 Payment Required?: OpenRouter documents 402 as insufficient credits on the account or the API key. Check error.metadata.limit_source in the response: openrouter_credits means the account balance cannot cover the request; openrouter_key_limit means that key's own credit limit is used up, even if the account still has credits; openrouter_in_flight_budget means running requests filled the in-flight spending budget, so wait for Retry-After and retry. Add credits for account-level errors, or raise the key's limit or wait for it to reset.

Official OpenRouter references

Prepared by Quota Monitor, not an official provider tutorial. Interfaces and permissions may change; check official pages. Verification is limited to the scope stated here.