Overview
Crush supports custom OpenAI-compatible providers. Add Vtrix as an openai-compat provider, set the Vtrix base URL, and let Crush read the API key from an environment variable.
Prerequisites
- Crush
- A Vtrix API key, created in Settings
You can also use Vtrix Doctor to check the local Base URL, API key, and model settings before editing files. Supported tools, including OpenClaw and Hermes, can be configured after confirmation.
Configuration Steps
Install Crush
• Using Homebrew
brew install charmbracelet/tap/crush• Or using npm
npm install -g @charmland/crushAfter installation, run:
crush --versionSet your Vtrix API key
Add the following to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:
export VTRIX_API_KEY="YOUR_VTRIX_API_KEY"After updating the file, restart your terminal or run:
source ~/.zshrcAdd Vtrix as a provider
Create the global Crush config file:
mkdir -p ~/.config/crush
vim ~/.config/crush/crush.jsonAdd the following configuration:
{
"$schema": "https://charm.land/crush.json",
"providers": {
"vtrix": {
"type": "openai-compat",
"base_url": "https://cloud.vtrix.ai/llm",
"api_key": "$VTRIX_API_KEY",
"models": [
{
"id": "gpt-5.5",
"name": "GPT-5.5 via Vtrix"
},
{
"id": "qwen3.7-max",
"name": "Qwen3.7 Max via Vtrix"
}
]
}
}
}Use https://cloud.vtrix.ai/llm as the OpenAI-compatible Vtrix base URL. Crush expands "$VTRIX_API_KEY" from your shell environment when it starts.
Start Crush
Go to your project directory and start Crush:
cd /path/to/your/project
crushUse Crush’s model picker to select a model under the vtrix provider. If the model responds normally, requests are routed to Vtrix through the configured base URL.
You can also check usage or billing in Vtrix Settings.
Troubleshooting
Error: 401 Unauthorized
Cause: VTRIX_API_KEY is missing, incorrect, or not loaded in the terminal where Crush started.
Fix:
echo $VTRIX_API_KEYIf the value is empty, check your shell config and restart the terminal.
Provider does not appear
Cause: Crush did not load the expected config file, or a project .crush.json overrides the global config.
Fix: Confirm the global file exists at ~/.config/crush/crush.json. If the project has .crush.json or crush.json, check whether it overrides the providers section.
Error: model not found
Cause: The model id in crush.json does not match a Vtrix model ID.
Fix: Open the Models page, copy the correct model ID, and update the model entry in ~/.config/crush/crush.json.
Other configuration issues
- Confirm
typeisopenai-compat - Confirm
base_urlishttps://cloud.vtrix.ai/llm - Confirm
api_keyis"$VTRIX_API_KEY" - Restart Crush after editing
crush.json