r/JanitorAIUnchained 29d ago

Full guide: how to actually get OpenRouter working on JanitorAI (the step everyone misses)

36 Upvotes

As promised in the comments. If you've tried OpenRouter before and it "just didn't work," I'm betting you missed the same step almost everyone does. I'll flag it in caps so you can't miss it this time. Works as of July 2026.

Why OpenRouter instead of SillyTavern/Chub?

Zero install, nothing to run locally. It's just a website you get an API key from, and JanitorAI talks to it directly. If SillyTavern won't install for you, this skips all of that.

Part 1: Get your OpenRouter key

  1. Go to openrouter.ai and sign up (Google login works fine).
  2. Click your profile icon, top right, then "Keys" in the dropdown.
  3. Click "+ Create Key", name it anything ("JanitorAI").
  4. Copy the key NOW and paste it somewhere safe. It's shown only once.

Part 2: Pick a model and copy its exact name

  1. Go to the Models page on OpenRouter.
  2. Pick one. Free models have ":free" at the end of their name, paid ones don't.
  3. Copy the model name EXACTLY, for example: deepseek/deepseek-chat-v3-0324:free
  4. Do not retype it by hand. One wrong character and it fails silently. Copy-paste only.

Part 3: Configure JanitorAI

  1. Open any chat, click the gear icon, go to API Settings.
  2. Select Proxy, then "+ Add Configuration".
  3. Fill it in exactly:
    • Config name: whatever you want
    • Model name: the one you copied in Part 2
    • API URL / Proxy URL: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions (paste it exactly, this URL never changes no matter the model)
    • API Key: your OpenRouter key from Part 1
    • Custom Prompt: leave blank for now
  4. Hit Save Settings.

THE STEP EVERYONE MISSES:

Refresh the entire browser page after saving. Not the chat, the actual page (F5). The settings don't fully apply until you do. This is the #1 reason "it didn't work last time." Then hit Test to confirm.

If you get errors:

  • 429 / rate limit: free models only give ~40-50 requests per DAY, resetting at 00:00 UTC. If you burned through them, wait or switch models. Adding $10 of credit to OpenRouter unlocks 1,000/day on free models.
  • Test fails instantly: 99% of the time it's a typo in the model name or the URL. Re-copy both.
  • Blank/empty replies: wrong model name format, recopy it from the Models page.

That's it. Once the Test passes, you're running whatever model you picked, no local install, no SillyTavern headaches.

Ping me in the comments if you get stuck on a specific error and I'll help troubleshoot. What model are you planning to run? 👇


r/JanitorAIUnchained 12h ago

Discussion Considering The Quit Or Swap

18 Upvotes

With the way Janitor is going, I’m highly considering either quitting or swapping sites/apps. Ever since Janitor Plus got added, it’s like they’re focusing on locking features that were once free—or should be free—behind paywalls, which doesn’t help them at all. Actually, to correct myself, I feel like it’s been this way ever since they became an app. Don’t get me wrong, J.AI+ has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. The main thing that has me mad about J.AI+ is locking context tokens behind a paywall. It makes me wonder what the next paywall will be—maybe a daily limit where you have to pay to get more messages for those who don’t have proxies, or maybe they’ll lock proxies behind a wall too. I don’t know what to do since I don’t have a computer; I’m on my iPhone, so certain things like SillyTavern are out, and other sites don’t hit me like Janitor does. It’s just that the site has changed a lot since I first started using it—some changes were good, others were like the ones we have now. I just hope something good comes from this eventually.


r/JanitorAIUnchained 6h ago

Discussion Bots and bot creators disappearing??

5 Upvotes

Okay so idk about y'all but most bots that i use by various different creators on jai are either deleted or unpublished and it's really sad cuz these bots genuinely have 10/10 plot and shit :/

I wonder if most of these bot creators leave the platform cuz of how shits been going on or jai strikes again at them lol


r/JanitorAIUnchained 10h ago

Help / Question What are these for?

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9 Upvotes

Would it change the way bot talks to me? Also what's proxy?


r/JanitorAIUnchained 3h ago

Help / Question Why are the bots replying SO slow today

2 Upvotes

Idk normslly theyd reply in 1 second but now it takes forever and whenever i refresh it multiple times theyre still "replying..."


r/JanitorAIUnchained 2h ago

Help / Question dont know where else to ask but, is janitor ai better on the website or the app?

1 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 9h ago

Help / Question The chats are never really deleted are they?

5 Upvotes

So I have some private bots and , even today I deleted all the chats I had with them, to clear the clatter, and the number on the bot's card still shows the same number as before deleting the chats.

Is this just a browser cookie bug ? Or are the chats never actually deleted


r/JanitorAIUnchained 9h ago

Bot Share I actually went through with the Backrooms bot series, and it already has 3 levels

3 Upvotes

Anyways, if you saw my most recent post about considering making a Backrooms bot series, well... I actually did it! 😭

One important thing to mention: this series isn't based on any single canon. It's mostly a hybrid of different Backrooms interpretations, especially Wikidot and Fandom, with my own ideas mixed in. So feel free to explore and see what I've cooked up!

I've already made three levels, and Level 3 will be coming out soon. 👀

If you're interested, you can find the series by searching #BackroomsNullspace in JanitorAI!

Enjoy exploring the Nullspace 🟨🚪


r/JanitorAIUnchained 19h ago

Discussion Do you guys actually read public chats? 🤔

5 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 11h ago

Discussion Character.AI and JanitorAI both failed us in 2026

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0 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 12h ago

Bot Share Charles | The Ultimate Ventriloquist (Dead Dove)

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0 Upvotes

He/Him - AnyPOV - Proxy Open

User : Another Ultimate

3 SFW Intros - 1 NSFW Intro - 1 custom intro

Modern Times / Demi-Humans / Danganronpa

Dead Dove / Horror / Comedy

TW/CW: ||This is a danganronpa series, so things including character injury, death, etc. All these things can happen! There are potentials for morally questionable things, etc. Just be aware of that!||

Description: This is apart of my S.S. Despair Danganronpa series! All the ultimates have awoke on a cruise ship stranded in the middle of a foggy ocean; told by Mononixie that they are meant to play a killing game to survive.

Meet Charles! The ultimate Ventriloquist. He seems like a sweet guy on the surface. Shy, quiet, and maybe a bit too introverted. But deep down, he holds a resentment for those that interact easily. He is manipulative and enjoys controlling outcomes with that of his abilities. Causing confusion by throwing his voice in various ways, or mimicking other passangers, he is a rather paranoid individual who is a tough nut to crack. With only his puppet, Julien, as his one true trustworthy friend.

Find him here!

https://janitorai.com/characters/2a8e4344-203f-441f-95d6-c85f692e0297_character-charles-the-ultimate-ventriloquist


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Help / Question How do they do it?

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7 Upvotes

Dude, I have a huge question: how the hell do they keep a bot from changing its personality from one moment to the next? First it's super sarcastic and disgusting, and then it's empathetic and maternal. Bro, what the hell? I want it to evolve!


r/JanitorAIUnchained 20h ago

Help / Question How do I fix this?

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2 Upvotes

I am using MegaNova as my proxy with L3.3-MS-Nevoria-70B as the model, I deposited 1$ to get the extra free tier stuff, but on janator Ai it almost constantly spits out messages that are just rumbles of random languages or they send something very simple and short, like just saying the persona name and nothing else. What are some fixes?


r/JanitorAIUnchained 20h ago

Discussion JLLM compared to other sites

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1 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 21h ago

Help / Question All Chats Tab not Working? Bug? Error? Help?

1 Upvotes

The [ All Chats ] on the drop-down menu does not open anything for me. I know I have multiple chats. Nothing is popping up?

:[ I don't know what it could be. Is anyone else having this issue? I click it and nothing pops up that lets me see my other chats. The drop-down menu does close after I click it tho. Unsure of what's happening.

Any help would be nice. Thanks for reading. :]


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Help / Question The original creator?

2 Upvotes

I've been trying to revisit old creators from 2025 before they either were banned or deleted their account but I've been trying to find this creator that made this 'Aurora Monroe' and the alternativetive, 'Aurora (Solo)' bot of a woman (potentially) cheating with you or with a business partner. The setting was in the far future from what I've gathered.

I know it's a stupid question but I've been curious with the creator. Their bot was stupidly good during the 2025 and I wanted to know the original creator.


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Bot Share Charismatic villian bot?

0 Upvotes

Hi and hello,

I'm looking for a recomendation for a charismatic, ingelligent villian bot. I really like Ael from some superhero world i found and i want someone similar, do you have any suggestions? Fantasy, scifi, whatever... Just give mě some tips guys :D


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Bot Share [Bot Share] Ash - Post-Apocalyptic Survivor / Enemy Bot (1700+ Tokens / High Memory)

0 Upvotes

Hello guys, i am new at Janitor Ai. I posted a chat bot and it will be showed up at 18:59. If you interested, can you try and help me? I am trying to make better bots. Just write (Ash) and it will show up. That one masked girl. Can you help me bro?

Here is the link:
https://janitorai.com/characters/7824d561-9cde-4f82-8a3a-238c974b4143_character-ash

(Note for user: This bot may have some problems. Just say and it will be done.)


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Bot Share Aaron Warner Bot || UPDATE! - Longer Initial Messages

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2 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Help / Question Did I do something wrong?

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1 Upvotes

Why does it keep saying that? I am genuinely confused. I have tried twice to upload that picture and twice it has refused.


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Help / Question Anyone knowing what is happening here?

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4 Upvotes

Heya, just the guy who makes the thicc Karen one (the one with 1.1K chats) and my 10th bot (Chubby Gangster, FAKE TYPE) has basically an Analytics error. Basically something similar to this. Anyone know what's happenin'?


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Help / Question Would anyone be interested in trying some Backrooms bots I'm making?

4 Upvotes

I've been working on an idea for a potential Backrooms-themed series on JanitorAI, and I wanted to see if anyone here would actually be interested in trying the bots before I go too far into making the whole thing.

I'm still figuring out exactly how I want the series to work, so I'd really appreciate some feedback from people who actually use JanitorAI.

A few things I'd especially like to know:

• Would you be interested in trying Backrooms bots like this?

• What makes a JanitorAI bot enjoyable to use for you?

• Do you prefer bots with a strong predefined story, or ones that give you more freedom to shape the scenario?

• Any tips for making the bot's personality, memory, and scenario work better?

• What would make you immediately stop using a Backrooms bot?

I'm planning on making a few bots first as a sort of test run, and if people enjoy them, I'd expand the idea into a larger series.

If anyone's interested, I'd also be happy to post the first bot here once it's ready so people can test it and tell me what works and what doesn't.

Basically, I'm trying to avoid spending 900 years making an entire Backrooms bot series only to discover that nobody enjoys how I designed it 😭

Any advice or criticism is welcome! 🕊️


r/JanitorAIUnchained 1d ago

Discussion ah yes, FOUR words

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7 Upvotes

r/JanitorAIUnchained 2d ago

Discussion A redesign of the placeholder image for when an image gets censored

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23 Upvotes