OmniRoute/docs/guides/REMOTE-MODE.md

title, version, lastUpdated

title	version	lastUpdated
Remote Mode — Drive a remote OmniRoute from your laptop	3.8.29	2026-06-19

Remote Mode

Run the omniroute CLI on your laptop while OmniRoute itself runs somewhere else (a VPS, a home server, another machine on your Tailnet). You log in once with omniroute connect, and from then on every CLI command targets that remote server — same commands, same output, just executed against the remote.

There is no second tool to install: remote mode is the regular omniroute CLI plus scoped access tokens.

npm install -g omniroute                 # the normal CLI
omniroute connect 192.168.0.15           # log in (password → scoped token)
omniroute models list                    # ← now lists the REMOTE server's models
omniroute configure codex                # ← writes a local Codex profile from the remote catalog

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How it works

your laptop                              remote OmniRoute (VPS)
┌────────────────────┐                   ┌───────────────────────────────┐
│ omniroute CLI      │  POST /api/cli/connect  (password → token)         │
│  context: vps      │ ───────────────►  │ mints a scoped access token    │
│  baseUrl, token    │  Authorization: Bearer oma_live_…                  │
│                    │ ───────────────►  │ every management route, scope- │
│ writes configs     │ ◄───────────────  │ checked per the token's scope  │
│ LOCALLY            │                   └───────────────────────────────┘
└────────────────────┘

• Contexts store one server each (~/.omniroute/config.json, chmod 600). omniroute contexts use <name> switches the active server; default is local.
• Access tokens (oma_live_…) authorize management commands. They are distinct from inference API keys (sk-…, used for /v1/chat/completions).
• Only the SHA-256 hash of a token is stored server-side. The plaintext is shown once, at creation.

---

Connecting

With the management password (bootstrap)

omniroute connect 192.168.0.15
# Management password for http://192.168.0.15:20128: ********
# ✔ Connected to http://192.168.0.15:20128 — context '192.168.0.15' (scope: admin)

The password flow mints an admin token by default (you hold the password, so you already have full control). Downscope with --scope:

omniroute connect 192.168.0.15 --scope write

Options: --port <p> (when the host has none), --name <ctx> (context name), --scope read|write|admin. A full URL is honoured as-is: omniroute connect https://omni.example.com.

With a pre-generated token

Generate a scoped token in the dashboard (or with omniroute tokens create) and paste it — no password needed:

omniroute connect 192.168.0.15 --key oma_live_xxxxxxxx

The CLI validates it via GET /api/cli/whoami and saves it as the active context.

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Scopes

Three levels, hierarchical (admin ⊃ write ⊃ read):

Scope	Can do
read	list/inspect — models list, providers status, logs, usage, cost
write	read + configure/apply — setup-codex, keys add, config set, combos
admin	write + manage — tokens CRUD, add providers, services, policy, oauth

The server infers the scope each route requires from the HTTP method (GET→read, mutations→write) plus an admin allowlist for sensitive surfaces (/api/cli/tokens, /api/providers mutations, /api/oauth, /api/services, …). A token with insufficient scope gets 403 with a clear message.

Routes that spawn processes (/api/services/*, /api/mcp/*, …) stay loopback-only — a remote token can never reach them, regardless of scope.

---

Managing tokens

omniroute tokens create --name "laptop" --scope write [--expires 30]
#   ↳ prints the secret ONCE — copy it now
omniroute tokens list                 # masked: id, name, scope, prefix, status, expiry
omniroute tokens revoke <id|prefix>   # revoke immediately
omniroute tokens scopes               # explain the three scopes

tokens commands require an admin credential. You can also manage tokens in the dashboard under Settings → Access Tokens (create, revoke, copy-once).

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Configuring a coding CLI from the remote catalog

omniroute configure reads the active server's live model catalog and writes a config on your machine.

omniroute configure codex
#   Providers: glm, kmc, ollamacloud, opencode-go, …
#   Provider: glm
#   Model id: glm/glm-5.2
#   ✔ Wrote ~/.codex/glm52.config.toml
#   Use it:  codex --profile glm52

# non-interactive
omniroute configure codex --provider glm --model glm/glm-5.2 --name glm52

The written profile references the inference key by env var (OMNIROUTE_API_KEY) — the secret is never written to disk. For the one-time base Codex setup (the [model_providers.omniroute] block), see CODEX-CLI-CONFIGURATION.md.

Per-CLI setup commands

Each supported CLI has a remote-aware setup command (all honour the active context, or --remote <url> --api-key <key>):

CLI	Command	What it writes
Codex	omniroute setup-codex	~/.codex/<name>.config.toml profiles (per model)
Claude Code	omniroute setup-claude	~/.claude/profiles/<name>/settings.json (per model)
OpenCode	omniroute setup-opencode	~/.config/opencode/opencode.json — the omniroute openai-compatible provider with every catalog model (run opencode -m omniroute/<model>)
Cline	omniroute setup-cline	~/.cline/data/{globalState,secrets}.json (CLI mode) + prints the VS Code extension settings to paste (OpenAI-compatible, Base URL without /v1)
Kilo Code	omniroute setup-kilo	~/.local/share/kilo/auth.json (CLI) + VS Code kilocode.* settings — OpenAI-compatible, Base URL with /v1
Continue	omniroute setup-continue	~/.continue/config.yaml (VS Code/JetBrains + cn CLI) — provider: openai, apiBase with /v1, key via ${{ secrets.OMNIROUTE_API_KEY }}
Cursor	omniroute setup-cursor	prints the in-app steps (Settings → Models → Override OpenAI Base URL with /v1 + key + model). Cursor config is opaque SQLite — chat panel only
Roo Code	omniroute setup-roo	writes a Roo import JSON (~/.omniroute/roo-settings.json) + sets roo-cline.autoImportSettingsPath + prints UI steps (OpenAI-compatible, Base URL with /v1)
Crush	omniroute setup-crush	~/.config/crush/crush.json — openai-compat provider, base_url with /v1, key via $OMNIROUTE_API_KEY
Goose	omniroute setup-goose	~/.config/goose/config.yaml (GOOSE_PROVIDER=openai + OPENAI_HOST without /v1 + GOOSE_MODEL) + env recipe
Qwen Code	omniroute setup-qwen	~/.qwen/settings.json — openai modelProvider, baseUrl with /v1, key via envKey (OMNIROUTE_API_KEY)
Aider	omniroute setup-aider	~/.aider.conf.yml (openai-api-base without /v1 + model: openai/<id>) + env recipe (aider --message --yes)
Gemini CLI	omniroute setup-gemini	native Gemini API (not OpenAI-compatible) → GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL (root, SDK appends /v1beta) + GEMINI_API_KEY + ~/.gemini/settings.json (model). ⚠ a cached Google login can override the base URL — run API-key-only

# OpenCode (openai-compatible provider, all catalog models, remote VPS)
omniroute setup-opencode --remote http://192.168.0.15:20128 --api-key oma_live_xxx
omniroute setup-opencode --only glm,kimi        # keep only matching models
opencode -m omniroute/glm/glm-5.2 "..."          # export OMNIROUTE_API_KEY first

OpenCode also has a richer plugin integration: omniroute setup opencode (now remote-aware via --remote) installs @omniroute/opencode-plugin. setup-opencode is the lightweight openai-compatible alternative. The API key is referenced via {env:OMNIROUTE_API_KEY} — never written to disk.

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Managing contexts (switch between servers)

A context is a saved server (baseUrl + credential + scope). omniroute connect creates one and makes it active; from then on every command targets it. Manage and switch between them with omniroute contexts:

omniroute contexts list            # all contexts; the active one is marked ●
omniroute contexts current         # the active server, auth status, scope

  | Name    | Base URL                  | Auth  | Scope | Description
● | vps     | http://100.67.86.91:20128 | token | admin | Remote OmniRoute (…)
  | default | http://localhost:20128    | ✗     |       |

Switch servers — every subsequent command follows the active context:

omniroute contexts use vps         # → all commands now hit the remote VPS
omniroute tokens list              #   (runs against the VPS)

omniroute contexts use default     # → back to localhost
omniroute tokens list              #   (runs against the local server)

Add a context manually (instead of connect), inspect, or rename:

omniroute contexts add staging --url https://staging.example.com:20128 \
  --access-token oma_live_xxxx --scope write --description "staging box"
omniroute contexts show staging    # full details for one context
omniroute contexts rename staging stg

Remove a context — prompts for confirmation; pass --yes to skip it (required for scripts / non-interactive shells, which otherwise decline safely):

omniroute contexts remove stg --yes

default (localhost) cannot be removed. Removing the active context falls back to default. Tip: removing a context only drops the local saved credential — revoke the token on the server with omniroute tokens revoke <id> to actually kill access.

Export / import contexts (e.g. to move them between machines — secrets included, so handle the file carefully):

omniroute contexts export --out contexts.json     # default: stdout
omniroute contexts import contexts.json            # overwrite; --merge to keep existing

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Quick end-to-end check

A copy-paste lifecycle to verify a remote setup from scratch — connect, mint a scoped token, route a command, switch back, and tear down. Replace 192.168.0.15 with your server's host/IP (Tailscale, LAN, or a public https://… URL).

# 1. Connect (password → admin token, saved as a context that becomes active)
omniroute connect 192.168.0.15                 # or: --key oma_live_xxxx  (no password)
omniroute contexts current                     # shows the remote server + scope

# 2. Use it — management commands now run against the remote
omniroute tokens create --name laptop --scope read   # mint a narrower token
omniroute tokens list                                 # masked list, from the remote

# 3. Switch back and forth
omniroute contexts use default                 # → local
omniroute contexts use 192-168-0-15            # → remote again (name from `contexts list`)

# 4. Tear down. NOTE: `contexts remove` only deletes the LOCAL credential —
#    it does NOT revoke the token on the server. Revoke server-side first if you
#    want to actually kill access.
omniroute tokens revoke <id|prefix>            # kills access on the server
omniroute contexts remove 192-168-0-15 --yes   # drop the local context (even if active → falls back to default), no prompt

--yes makes contexts remove non-interactive (required in scripts/CI; without it, a non-interactive shell declines safely instead of hanging). Removing the active context falls back to default automatically.

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Security notes

• Token plaintext is shown once; only the SHA-256 hash is persisted (same as API keys).
• omniroute connect reuses the login brute-force lockout + audit logging.
• Prefer HTTPS or a Tailnet for the transport; a bare host defaults to http:// for LAN/Tailscale convenience — pass a full https://… URL for TLS.
• The local context file is ~/.omniroute/config.json (chmod 600); tokens are never printed in logs (masked to a prefix).

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API endpoints (reference)

Method	Route	Auth	Scope
POST	/api/cli/connect	management password	— (public, password-gated)
GET	/api/cli/whoami	access token	read
GET	/api/cli/tokens	access token	admin
POST	/api/cli/tokens	access token	admin
DELETE	/api/cli/tokens/:id	access token	admin

See openapi.yaml for full schemas.