LibreChat: Fixing OpenRouter Integration In Docker

Nov 11, 2025 by Alex Johnson 51 views

Experiencing issues with OpenRouter not showing up in your LibreChat interface, especially when running in a Docker Compose environment? You're not alone! Many users have encountered this frustrating hiccup where, despite correctly setting up your OpenRouter API key in the .env file, the option simply doesn't appear in the web UI. This can be a real head-scratcher, especially when you're expecting a smooth, hassle-free integration. This article is here to guide you through the common causes and provide a clear, step-by-step solution to get OpenRouter up and running with your LibreChat setup. We'll dive deep into the configuration details and common pitfalls to help you overcome this integration hurdle.

Understanding the OpenRouter Integration Challenge

When your OpenRouter integration appears broken in a Docker Compose setup for LibreChat, it often stems from a misconfiguration or an oversight in how the environment variables are being picked up by the running containers. The expected behavior is straightforward: once you've generated your API key from the OpenRouter website and uncommented/filled in the OPENROUTER_KEY in your .env file, LibreChat's web UI should automatically detect and present OpenRouter as a selectable AI model. However, reality can sometimes be a bit more complex, especially in containerized environments where variable injection and file parsing can have their own quirks. The logs provided show a critical error: LibreChat | 2025-11-11 21:24:53 error: Config file YAML format is invalid: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/app/librechat.yaml'. This specific error message is a major clue. It indicates that the LibreChat application, when starting up inside its container, is looking for a configuration file named librechat.yaml at a specific path (/app/librechat.yaml) and cannot find it. This file is crucial for defining various application settings, including which AI models are available and how they should be configured. If this file is missing or incorrectly formatted, the application won't be able to load its full configuration, which directly impacts its ability to recognize and display integrations like OpenRouter. The warnings about UID and GID not being set, while not directly causing the OpenRouter issue, can sometimes point to broader environmental setup problems within the Docker containers that might indirectly affect file access or application initialization.

Decoding the Error: `Config file YAML format is invalid: ENOENT: no such file or directory`

The most significant piece of information from the provided logs is the error message related to the librechat.yaml file. The ENOENT error code specifically means "No such file or directory." This tells us that the LibreChat application, upon starting, attempted to read a configuration file at /app/librechat.yaml and failed because the file doesn't exist at that location within the container's filesystem.

What is librechat.yaml? This YAML file is a core part of LibreChat's configuration. It's where you define many of the application's settings, including API endpoints, model configurations, and integrations. If this file is missing, LibreChat cannot properly initialize its settings, including the available AI providers.
Why might it be missing? In a Docker Compose setup, configuration files are often managed through volume mounts or by being copied into the container image during the build process. If there's an issue with the docker-compose.yml file, the build process, or the volume mapping, this essential file might not end up in the correct location inside the LibreChat container.
Impact on OpenRouter: When LibreChat can't load its configuration file, it can't read the list of enabled AI providers or their corresponding API keys. Consequently, even if your OPENROUTER_KEY is correctly set in your .env file, the application might not be able to process it because the fundamental configuration structure is broken. This is why OpenRouter wouldn't appear in the UI.

The warnings about UID and GID are less critical for this specific problem but are worth noting. They indicate that the user and group IDs inside the container are not explicitly set, which can sometimes lead to permission issues or unexpected behavior when the container tries to access files or directories. However, the primary culprit here is clearly the missing librechat.yaml.

Step-by-Step Solution to Fix OpenRouter Integration

Let's get your OpenRouter integration working smoothly. Based on the error logs, the primary focus needs to be on ensuring the librechat.yaml file is correctly placed and accessible within the LibreChat container. We'll also double-check the .env file setup.

Step 1: Verify `.env` File Setup

First, ensure your .env file is correctly configured. This is where you'll store your API keys and other environment-specific settings.

Locate your .env file: In the root directory of your cloned LibreChat repository, you should have a file named .env.example. Rename this to .env if you haven't already.
Add your OpenRouter API Key: Open the .env file in a text editor. Uncomment the line related to OpenRouter and add your API key obtained from OpenRouter.ai. It should look something like this:
```
OPENROUTER_KEY=sk-or-your-actual-api-key-here
```
- Important: Make sure there are no leading or trailing spaces around your API key.
Check other relevant settings: While you're in the .env file, ensure any other settings required for your setup are correct. For a typical Docker Compose setup, the default values are often sufficient, but it's always good to be sure.

Step 2: Address the Missing `librechat.yaml` Error

The error ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/app/librechat.yaml' is the key. This implies that the librechat.yaml file, which is essential for configuring the application, is not being correctly placed or mounted into the LibreChat container.

Looking at typical LibreChat Docker setups, the librechat.yaml file is often generated or managed by the backend application itself, sometimes based on environment variables or a default template. However, the error suggests it's either expected to be present and isn't, or the application is failing to create/find it.

Let's consider the possibilities:

Volume Mismatch: If librechat.yaml is supposed to be managed via a volume mount in your docker-compose.yml, ensure the volume is correctly configured and that the file or directory it maps to actually exists on your host machine and has the correct permissions.
Build Process Issue: If librechat.yaml is supposed to be copied into the image during the build, there might be an issue with the Dockerfile or the build context. However, since you're using docker-compose up -d with potentially pre-built images (using latest tags), this is less likely unless you've modified the build process.
Application Initialization: Some applications generate their configuration files on the first run if they don't exist. The error suggests this process might be failing. This could be due to incorrect permissions, missing parent directories, or other environment setup issues.

Given the provided logs, the most direct approach is to ensure the LibreChat container has access to a valid librechat.yaml.

If you are using the standard docker-compose.yml from the repository, it's possible that the way the LibreChat service is defined doesn't correctly handle the generation or mounting of this file.

A common fix for this specific error in LibreChat Docker setups is to ensure the application can create or access its configuration directory and files. Sometimes, explicitly defining a volume for /app or /app/data in your docker-compose.yml can help, especially if the container needs to write configuration files there.

Let's look at the docker-compose.yml file. You should check the volumes section for the LibreChat service. If there's a volume mapping like:

volumes:
  - ./config:/app/config

Or similar, ensure that the ./config directory exists on your host machine and that the container has write permissions to it. If there's no volume for configuration, the application might be trying to write to a read-only filesystem, leading to the ENOENT error if it expects to create the file.

If the librechat.yaml file is expected to be provided by the user or generated from defaults, you might need to manually create a librechat.yaml file in the appropriate location or ensure the application has the necessary permissions to create it.

For many LibreChat deployments, the librechat.yaml is managed within the application's logic based on .env variables. The fact that it's missing suggests a failure in that initialization logic. Try to find the default librechat.yaml template within the LibreChat source code (if you downloaded it) and place it in a location that your docker-compose.yml correctly maps to the /app/ directory inside the container. Or, ensure the /app directory has write permissions for the user running the process inside the container.

Step 3: Rebuild and Restart Containers

After making any adjustments to your .env file or docker-compose.yml (if you decide to modify it), it's crucial to rebuild and restart your containers to apply the changes.

Stop existing containers:
```
docker-compose down
```
This command will stop and remove the containers, networks, and volumes defined in your docker-compose.yml.
Rebuild (if necessary) and start containers: If you've changed the Dockerfile or any files that are copied during the build process, you'll need to rebuild the images:
```
docker-compose build
```
If you haven't changed build-related files, you can often skip the build step and directly start the containers:
```
docker-compose up -d
```
If you modified docker-compose.yml or .env, it's generally safer to run docker-compose up -d after docker-compose down.
Monitor logs: After restarting, keep an eye on the Docker logs again:
```
docker-compose logs -f
```
Look for any new errors, especially related to configuration files or OpenRouter initialization. The ENOENT error for librechat.yaml should ideally be gone.

Step 4: Verify OpenRouter in the Web UI

Once the containers are up and running without critical errors, navigate to your LibreChat web interface.

Check AI Provider List: Go to the section where you select your AI models. OpenRouter should now be available in the dropdown list or as a selectable option.
Test Functionality: If it's visible, try sending a message through OpenRouter to confirm that the integration is fully functional.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If OpenRouter still doesn't appear after following these steps, here are a few more things to check:

Permissions: Ensure that the Docker user has the necessary read/write permissions for any directories involved in volume mounts, especially if you've created a config directory or similar.
Environment Variable Case Sensitivity: While less common with .env files, always double-check that OPENROUTER_KEY is exactly as expected, including case sensitivity.
Docker Compose Version: Ensure you are using a recent and compatible version of Docker Compose.
Network Issues: Although unlikely to prevent the option from appearing, ensure your Docker containers can reach openrouter.ai if there are network restrictions.
LibreChat Updates: If you pulled the latest tag, ensure there wasn't a recent breaking change or bug introduced in the latest version that was resolved in a subsequent commit. Checking the project's GitHub issues for similar reports can be helpful.

By systematically addressing the configuration and potential file access issues, you should be able to resolve the broken OpenRouter integration and enjoy the full capabilities of LibreChat. Remember, understanding the error logs is your most powerful tool in troubleshooting Docker-based applications.

For more detailed information on Docker configurations and troubleshooting, you can refer to the official Docker documentation and the LibreChat GitHub repository for specific configuration examples and community discussions.