Use Provider-Specific Video Options

Use this guide when you need to add video model controls that aren’t part of OpenRouter’s normalized video schema. By the end, your implementation should inspect a model’s allowed passthrough parameters and send one through provider.options.

For reusable agent knowledge across projects, install the openrouter-video skill.

Before you start

You need:

Node.js 20 or newer
An OpenRouter API key available as OPENROUTER_API_KEY only when you submit the video job
A target video model for the provider-specific options you want to send

If you aren’t already targeting a specific provider model, read Choose a Video Generation Model first. It helps you pick one based on clip duration, output shape, input type, audio, provider controls, and cost.

Use the API reference pages as the source of truth for exact fields:

Provider-specific options can change by model and provider. Always check allowed_passthrough_parameters before relying on one.

Submitting POST /api/v1/videos starts a real video generation job and may spend OpenRouter credits.

Step 1: Inspect allowed passthrough parameters

Start by reading allowed_passthrough_parameters from the selected model. This keeps provider-specific controls behind a model metadata check instead of hard-coding unsupported request keys. Example metadata check:

const response = await fetch("https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/videos/models");

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(await response.text());
}

const { data } = await response.json();
const models = data;
const veo = models.find(
  (model) => model.id === "google/veo-3.1-lite",
);

if (!veo) {
  throw new Error("google/veo-3.1-lite was not found in the video model list.");
}

console.log(veo.allowed_passthrough_parameters);

Example output:

[
  "personGeneration",
  "aspectRatio",
  "negativePrompt",
  "conditioningScale",
  "enhancePrompt"
]

For example, google/veo-3.1-lite may expose passthrough controls such as negativePrompt, enhancePrompt, personGeneration, or conditioningScale. OpenRouter lists supported parameter names; check the provider docs for valid values when a parameter has an enum. Before submitting a paid job, assert that every passthrough key you plan to send is allowed for the selected model:

const providerParameters = {
  negativePrompt: "blurry, low quality, distorted petals",
  enhancePrompt: true,
};

const unsupportedParameters = Object.keys(providerParameters).filter(
  (key) => !veo.allowed_passthrough_parameters?.includes(key),
);

if (unsupportedParameters.length > 0) {
  throw new Error(
    `Unsupported passthrough parameters: ${unsupportedParameters.join(", ")}`,
  );
}

console.log("All provider parameters are supported.");

Metadata assertion output:

All provider parameters are supported.

Step 2: Add provider options to the video request

Provider options are keyed by provider slug. Only the options for the matched provider are forwarded. For the Google Vertex video endpoint, use the google-vertex provider slug. Example request shape:

const apiKey = process.env.OPENROUTER_API_KEY;

if (!apiKey) {
  throw new Error("Set OPENROUTER_API_KEY before submitting a video job.");
}

const response = await fetch("https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/videos", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    model: "google/veo-3.1-lite",
    prompt:
      "A 4-second time-lapse of a white orchid blooming on a dark tabletop, macro lens, gentle studio light",
    duration: 4,
    resolution: "720p",
    aspect_ratio: "16:9",
    generate_audio: false,
    provider: {
      options: {
        "google-vertex": {
          parameters: providerParameters,
        },
      },
    },
  }),
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(await response.text());
}

console.log(await response.json());

The submit call returns the job fields immediately. In the QA run, the submitted job later completed and downloaded with this final summary:

{
  "id": "2hAwXrT31ZpCI8MsjBEe",
  "status": "completed",
  "polling_url": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/videos/2hAwXrT31ZpCI8MsjBEe",
  "downloaded_path": "provider-options.mp4",
  "downloaded_bytes": 794331
}

To wait for the playable MP4, use the polling and download helper from Generate and Download a Video from Text after submission.

Step 3: Keep a fallback without passthrough options

If your app can route across multiple video models, keep the normalized request separate from model-specific options:

const baseRequest = {
  prompt: "A short cinematic product shot of a white orchid blooming",
  duration: 4,
  resolution: "720p",
  aspect_ratio: "16:9",
};

const selectedModel = {
  id: "google/veo-3.1-lite",
};

const requestBody =
  selectedModel.id === "google/veo-3.1-lite"
    ? {
        ...baseRequest,
        model: selectedModel.id,
        provider: {
          options: {
            "google-vertex": {
              parameters: {
                negativePrompt: "blurry, low quality",
              },
            },
          },
        },
      }
    : {
        ...baseRequest,
        model: selectedModel.id,
      };

Request shape for google/veo-3.1-lite:

{
  "prompt": "A short cinematic product shot of a white orchid blooming",
  "duration": 4,
  "resolution": "720p",
  "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
  "model": "google/veo-3.1-lite",
  "provider": {
    "options": {
      "google-vertex": {
        "parameters": {
          "negativePrompt": "blurry, low quality"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Check your work

The metadata assertion should pass before you submit a job. If you submit the request, it should return a video job. If the provider option is invalid for the selected model, remove it or re-check the current allowed_passthrough_parameters list. To verify the final output, poll the returned polling_url until completed, then download the MP4.

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Use Provider-Specific Video Options

Before you start

Step 1: Inspect allowed passthrough parameters

Step 2: Add provider options to the video request

Step 3: Keep a fallback without passthrough options

Check your work

​Before you start

​Step 1: Inspect allowed passthrough parameters

​Step 2: Add provider options to the video request

​Step 3: Keep a fallback without passthrough options

​Check your work

Before you start

Step 1: Inspect allowed passthrough parameters

Step 2: Add provider options to the video request

Step 3: Keep a fallback without passthrough options

Check your work