Genesis Docs

LiteLLM is an open-source LLM gateway that provides a unified API to 100+ model providers. Route Genesis through LiteLLM to get centralized cost tracking, logging, and the flexibility to switch backends without changing your Genesis config.

**Why use LiteLLM with Genesis?**
  • Cost tracking — See exactly what Genesis spends across all models
  • Model routing — Switch between Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, Bedrock without config changes
  • Virtual keys — Create keys with spend limits for Genesis
  • Logging — Full request/response logs for debugging
  • Fallbacks — Automatic failover if your primary provider is down

Quick start

Onboarding (recommended)

**Best for:** fastest path to a working LiteLLM setup.

Run onboarding

    ```bash
    genesis onboard --auth-choice litellm-api-key
    ```

Manual setup

**Best for:** full control over installation and config.

Start LiteLLM Proxy

    ```bash
    pip install 'litellm[proxy]'
    litellm --model claude-opus-4-6
    ```

Point Genesis to LiteLLM

    ```bash
    export LITELLM_API_KEY="your-litellm-key"

    genesis
    ```

    That's it. Genesis now routes through LiteLLM.

Configuration

Environment variables

export LITELLM_API_KEY="sk-litellm-key"

Config file

{
  models: {
    providers: {
      litellm: {
        baseUrl: "http://localhost:4000",
        apiKey: "${LITELLM_API_KEY}",
        api: "openai-completions",
        models: [
          {
            id: "claude-opus-4-6",
            name: "Claude Opus 4.6",
            reasoning: true,
            input: ["text", "image"],
            contextWindow: 200000,
            maxTokens: 64000,
          },
          {
            id: "gpt-4o",
            name: "GPT-4o",
            reasoning: false,
            input: ["text", "image"],
            contextWindow: 128000,
            maxTokens: 8192,
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "litellm/claude-opus-4-6" },
    },
  },
}

Advanced configuration

Virtual keys

Create a dedicated key for Genesis with spend limits:

```bash
curl -X POST "http://localhost:4000/key/generate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LITELLM_MASTER_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "key_alias": "genesis",
    "max_budget": 50.00,
    "budget_duration": "monthly"
  }'
```

Use the generated key as `LITELLM_API_KEY`.

Model routing

LiteLLM can route model requests to different backends. Configure in your LiteLLM `config.yaml`:

```yaml
model_list:
  - model_name: claude-opus-4-6
    litellm_params:
      model: claude-opus-4-6
      api_key: os.environ/ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

  - model_name: gpt-4o
    litellm_params:
      model: gpt-4o
      api_key: os.environ/OPENAI_API_KEY
```

Genesis keeps requesting `claude-opus-4-6` — LiteLLM handles the routing.

Viewing usage

Check LiteLLM's dashboard or API:

```bash
# Key info
curl "http://localhost:4000/key/info" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-litellm-key"

# Spend logs
curl "http://localhost:4000/spend/logs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LITELLM_MASTER_KEY"
```

Proxy behavior notes

- LiteLLM runs on `http://localhost:4000` by default
- Genesis connects through LiteLLM's proxy-style OpenAI-compatible `/v1`
  endpoint
- Native OpenAI-only request shaping does not apply through LiteLLM:
  no `service_tier`, no Responses `store`, no prompt-cache hints, and no
  OpenAI reasoning-compat payload shaping
- Hidden Genesis attribution headers (`originator`, `version`, `User-Agent`)
  are not injected on custom LiteLLM base URLs
For general provider configuration and failover behavior, see [Model Providers](/concepts/model-providers).

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