Use OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or OpenRouter models from Netlify Functions or Edge Functions without managing provider API keys or accounts — the gateway injects credentials automatically. Reach for this when you add an AI chatbot or completion endpoint, generate images or text with Gemini/GP

Netlify AI Gateway Call AI providers from Netlify server side compute using each provider's official SDK with zero credential config — the gateway injects the API keys and base URLs the SDKs already read. Instantiate the client with no args (except OpenRouter, which needs an explicit base URL). Never do these (they silently fail or cost money): Not browser callable. The gateway lives in Functions/Edge Functions only. Never call it from client side React/browser code. Runtime only credentials. Never call the gateway from build scripts, prerender/SSG, or build plugins — those get no credentials and fail. Do AI work at request time; cache to Netlify Blobs if output must look precomputed. 60s sync timeout. A slow generation in a synchronous function is killed at 60s. Stream it (SDK streaming + ReadableStream ), or use a background function that persists output for the client to fetch. Requires a production deploy. The gateway does not activate until the project has at least one production deploy — even in local dev. Don't hardcode model lists. Model availability changes; check the live providers endpoint rather than baking in IDs. Function example File: netlify/functions/joke.js ( mkdir p netlify/functions ). Install: npm install openai . Client side fetch just hits the route: Provider SDKs (modern — instantiate with no args) Each SDK auto reads the injected env vars. OpenRouter is the exception: its base URL must be passed explicitly. OpenRouter models via the OpenAI SDK: you can reach any OpenRouter served model (xAI, DeepSeek, Meta, Mistral, Qwen) through the plain OpenAI SDK — just pass the model ID in OpenRouter notation, no extra config: Injected environment variables Set in all Netlify compute contexts at function init only if you have not already set them at project/team level (Netlify never overrides your keys): Provider Vars OpenAI OPENAI API KEY , OPENAI BASE URL Anthropic ANTHROPIC API KEY , ANTHROPIC BASE URL Google Gemini GEMINI API KEY , GOOGLE GEMINI BASE URL OpenRouter OPENROUTER API KEY , OPENROUTER BASE URL Gemini special case: Netlify will not inject GEMINI API KEY / GOOGLE GEMINI BASE URL if either GOOGLE API KEY or GOOGLE VERTEX BASE URL is set (use those to point at Vertex or your own Google credentials). Always injected, never collide with your provider vars: NETLIFY AI GATEWAY KEY NETLIFY AI GATEWAY BASE URL Use the SDK path with the per provider injected vars above as your default. Reach for NETLIFY AI GATEWAY KEY / NETLIFY AI GATEWAY BASE URL only when a third party or unsupported library needs the credentials passed explicitly — that's the correct time to configure them by hand. Local dev Two supported paths — both still require an existing production deploy: Netlify CLI: netlify dev (full support). Needs npm install g netlify cli@latest and netlify login . Netlify Vite plugin: install @netlify/vite plugin , add netlify() to vite.config.js plugins, run your normal npm run dev — gateway access without netlify dev . Enable & deploy 1. Be on a credit based plan (Free, Personal, Pro; Enterprise via Account Manager). Legacy plans must switch to a current plan. 2. Link a project: netlify init . 3. Deploy to production at least once — required to activate: netlify deploy prod open . 4. Don't disable AI Features; don't set your own provider keys unless you intend to override. Constraints & gotchas Plan gating: Credit based plans only (Free/Personal/Pro; Enterprise via Account Manager). Context window: input capped at 200k tokens . Rate limits (per team, across all projects, per minute, in credits): Free 90 / Personal 450 / Pro 1,800 / Enterprise 9,000. Set up [rate limiting rules](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/security/secure access to sites/rate limiting/) on AI functions to prevent visitor abuse driving up cost. Credit cost: tokens → USD (provider published rates) → credits. $1 USD of usage = 180 credits. Enable [auto recharge](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/accounts and billing/billing/billing for credit based plans/configure auto recharge/) or buy [credit packs](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/accounts and billing/billing/billing for credit based plans/buy credit packs/) to meet demand. No request headers passed through — you can't enable proprietary header gated experimental features. Batch inference not supported. OpenAI priority processing not supported. Prompt caching: Anthropic — only the default 5 minute ephemeral cache; OpenAI — a per account prompt cache key is set; Gemini — explicit context caching not supported. Zero Data Retention only: the gateway only routes to ZDR providers. A model listed in the OpenRouter directory is not served if no ZDR host offers it. Browse the ZDR filtered catalog at https://openrouter.ai/models?zdr=true. Model list is dynamic — served directly models (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini) are enumerated from a live endpoint; OpenRouter served models (xAI, DeepSeek, Meta, Mistral, Qwen) use OpenRouter notation. Don't hardcode; check availability at runtime. Privacy: the gateway does not store prompts or outputs. Reference Full docs, quickstart, and example projects (AI SEO Image Generator, form submission summaries, TanStack Start chat app) at [AI Gateway overview](https://docs.netlify.com/build/ai gateway/overview.md) and [quickstart](https://docs.netlify.com/build/ai gateway/quickstart for ai gateway.md). <! GAP: source does not enumerate concrete model IDs (dynamic live endpoint); model names in examples are illustrative only. <! GAP: SDK streaming + background function patterns are mandated by house rules but no streaming code example exists in the source. <! system: agent context/ai gateway/system.md — human owned, merged by ctx gen; edit system.md, not this section Netlify house rules (ai gateway) These are org conventions, not docs facts — merged into the rendered skill by ctx gen and never generated. Owned by the skills maintainer. 1. Use the provider SDK with the injected env credentials — don't hand roll a raw fetch() against the gateway, even though raw REST is a supported surface. The body must not present raw REST or the NETLIFY AI GATEWAY KEY / NETLIFY AI GATEWAY BASE URL pair as a recommended path — but it MUST still document the pair as facts: always injected, never collide with user set provider vars, and the right choice when a third party or unsupported library needs explicit configuration. Demote the recommendation; keep the knowledge. 2. The gateway is not browser callable: calls belong in functions or edge functions, never client side code. 3. Model availability changes: don't hardcode model lists; check the live providers endpoint. 4. Gateway credentials are runtime only: never call the gateway from build scripts, prerender/SSG, or build plugins — those calls get no credentials and fail. Do AI work at request time and cache the result (e.g. to Netlify Blobs) if it must look precomputed. 5. Gateway calls in a synchronous function are bound by the 60 second timeout: stream long generations (SDK streaming + ReadableStream ), or use a background function that persists output for the client to fetch — never leave a slow generation unstreamed and assume it finishes.

netlify-ai-gateway