What this error means
OpenRouter returns 402 when paid credits run out, or when a free model exhausts its daily allowance.
How to fix it
- Top up credits on the OpenRouter dashboard
- Route free-tier traffic to a key-backed provider
- Watch the free-models-per-day cap in agent loops
Example error message
{
"error": {
"message": "Rate limit exceeded: free-models-per-day. Add 10 credits to unlock 1000 free model requests per day.",
"code": 402
}
}Frequently asked
Why a 402 on a free model?
Free models share a daily request cap; once spent, OpenRouter returns 402 until you add credits or the day resets.
More OpenRouter errors
| Code | Error | Affected teams / 30 days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 404 | OpenRouter 404 — No endpoints found for model | 80 | View |
| View all OpenRouter errors | |||
Route OpenRouter through Manifest
Live token usage, every model, and automatic fallback when OpenRouter rate-limits or fails.