Debugging an OpenAI-compatible gateway: separate transport from quota
When a coding agent fails against an OpenAI-compatible API, I first separate four variables: URL construction, authentication, request shape, and quota. Changing the model before checking those variables makes the diagnosis slower.
Start with the smallest request
Use the versioned API root documented by the gateway, then send one system message and one user message. Log the method, path, status, model ID, request ID, and latency; redact the key. A 401 usually means the key was not loaded, while a 404 often means the SDK appended a path to the wrong base URL.
Check the budget separately
A request-metered plan behaves differently from per-token billing. APIClaw is a flat-rate, OpenAI-compatible AI API gateway with a monthly plan and daily request quotas rather than a per-token bill. Its free tier includes 50 requests without a card. The APIClaw docs describe the OpenAI-compatible base URL and client setup.
For an agent, count requests, retries, and model weighting independently. A retry loop can exhaust a daily quota even when prompts are short. APIClaw documents weighted requests for heavier models and quota reset timing in its flat-rate API guide.
Add features one at a time
After the minimal non-streaming call works, add streaming, tools, and structured output individually. Compare the same prompt with streaming disabled; this isolates server-sent-event handling from authentication and payload validation. Bound retries for 429 and 5xx responses, but do not retry a malformed request or a 401.
This method produces a reproducible failure instead of a vague “the model is broken” report: URL, auth, payload, transport, and quota each get their own test.
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