Linh

Posted on Apr 10

I Built Routiform After Hitting Every Limit with 9router and OmniRoute

#llm #ai #openai #opensource

The Problem: Gateway Fatigue is Real

If you're reading this, you've probably been there:

9router looks promising with 2,200+ stars, but you spend more time debugging Docker builds than actually using it
OmniRoute has cool features, but GitHub Copilot authentication is broken, the production build crashes on macOS, and you keep getting stuck at /login after restoring backups

I spent 3 months dealing with these issues before deciding: "Screw it, I'll build my own."

Enter Routiform — an AI gateway that fixes the bugs 9router and OmniRoute left behind.

🔥 What Routiform Fixes (That Others Don't)

1. Docker That Actually Works

9router Issue #538: "Add Docker support and improve Dockerfile configuration"

OmniRoute Issue #1081: "Critical: Broken production build on macOS (absolute symlinks, missing modules)"

These were deal-breakers. After countless hours debugging, Routiform's Docker CLI image works out of the box:

docker pull linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli
docker run -d -p 20128:20128 -p 20129:20129 linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli

No symlink issues. No missing modules. Just works — with CLI tool configs auto-mounted.

2. Stuck Login After Backup? Fixed.

The Bug: Import a backup → get redirected to /login → can't access anything

Both 9router and OmniRoute have this issue. Routiform now auto-loads server.env on npm install and allows settings access when no password is configured — no more lockouts.

// Routiform fix: Auto-generate JWT secret when not configured
fix(jwt): auto-generate secret when JWT_SECRET is not set

3. Context Compression That Doesn't Break

OmniRoute Issue #1018: "Chat completion costs ($0) never recorded"

9router Issue #536: "Unsupported parameter: 'temperature'"

Routiform implements context window validation and compression with metrics tracking. Your requests don't get dropped, and costs are actually recorded.

feat(context): add context window validation and compression

4. GitHub Copilot Works (Finally!)

OmniRoute Issue #1066: "Github Copilot can't be used"

This was a nightmare. OAuth would fail randomly, and client_id parameter was empty in authorization URLs. Routiform hardens the OAuth flow and syncs live model catalogs properly.

5. Models That Auto-Sync

Tired of manually updating model lists? Routiform auto-syncs and refreshes available models from providers:

feat(providers): auto-sync and refresh available models

6. Better Claude /v1/messages Compatibility

9router Issue #545: "[400]: Improperly formed request in Kiro Provider"

Routiform hardens the /v1/messages compatibility and ordering, fixing issues with Claude Code, Kiro, and other OAuth-based providers.

🎯 The Numbers Don't Lie

Feature	9router	OmniRoute	Routiform
Docker Works Out-of-Box	❌	❌	✅
Auto-Generate JWT	❌	❌	✅
Context Compression	❌	❌	✅
GitHub Copilot OAuth	❌	❌	✅
Auto-Sync Models	❌	❌	✅
Claude v1/messages Fix	❌	❌	✅
Stuck Login Fix	❌	❌	✅
30 Languages i18n	❌	❌	✅
MCP Server (25 tools)	❌	✅	✅
A2A Protocol	❌	❌	✅

🚀 How Routiform Works

┌─────────────┐
│  Your CLI   │  (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Cline...)
│   Tool      │
└──────┬──────┘
       │ http://localhost:20128/v1
       ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Routiform (Smart Router)      │
│  • Format translation (OpenAI ↔ Claude) │
│  • Quota tracking + Embeddings + Images │
│  • Auto token refresh                   │
│  • Context compression                  │
│  • Auto model sync                      │
└──────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
       │
       ├─→ [Tier 1: SUBSCRIPTION] Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI
       │   ↓ quota exhausted
       ├─→ [Tier 2: API KEY] DeepSeek, Groq, xAI, Mistral, NVIDIA NIM
       │   ↓ budget limit
       ├─→ [Tier 3: CHEAP] GLM ($0.6/1M), MiniMax ($0.2/1M)
       │   ↓ budget limit
       └─→ [Tier 4: FREE] Qoder, Qwen, Kiro (unlimited)

One config, unlimited models and quota.

🛠️ Quick Start

Option 1: NPM (Recommended)

# Install globally
npm install -g routiform

# Start the server
routiform

# Access dashboard
open http://localhost:20128

Option 2: Docker (CLI Mode)

# Pull the CLI image
docker pull linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli

# Run with full configuration
docker run -d \
  --name routiform \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 20128:20128 \
  -p 20129:20129 \
  -e DATA_DIR=/app/data \
  -e INITIAL_PASSWORD="change-this-password" \
  -v routiform-data:/app/data \
  -v "$HOME/.claude:/root/.claude" \
  -v "$HOME/.openclaw:/root/.openclaw" \
  -v "$HOME/.config/opencode:/root/.config/opencode" \
  -v "$HOME/.continue:/root/.continue" \
  linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli

Option 3: Source

git clone https://github.com/linhnguyen-gt/Routiform.git
cd Routiform
npm install
npm run dev

🔧 Connect Your Favorite Tools

Routiform works with all major AI coding agents:

Tool	Connection
Claude Code	`http://localhost:20128/v1`
Codex CLI	`http://localhost:20128/v1`
Gemini CLI	`http://localhost:20128/v1`
Cursor	OpenAI-compatible endpoint
Cline	Custom base URL
OpenCode	`http://localhost:20128/v1`

💡 Why I Built This

After 3 months of:

Debugging Docker builds
Getting stuck at login screens
Fighting with OAuth that wouldn't work
Watching requests fail silently

I realized the existing solutions had great ideas but terrible execution.

Routiform is my answer: an AI gateway that just works. No more 3am debugging sessions. No more "why the hell is this not working?" moments.

📊 Real Impact

Since launching 4 days ago, Routiform has already solved:

✅ 11 authentication/authorization bugs fixed
✅ 8 provider-specific issues (Claude, Codex, Kiro, Qoder) resolved
✅ Context compression preventing dropped requests
✅ Auto-sync eliminating manual model updates

🤝 Credits

Routiform wouldn't exist without the foundations laid by:

9router by @decolua — The original inspiration (2,206 ⭐)
OmniRoute by @diegosouzapw — Expanded the vision

I forked from these projects and fixed the bugs they left behind.

🎁 Try It Yourself

NPM (Recommended for development)

npm install -g routiform
routiform

Docker (For production/deployment)

docker pull linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli
docker run -d \
  --name routiform \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 20128:20128 \
  -p 20129:20129 \
  -v routiform-data:/app/data \
  -v "$HOME/.claude:/root/.claude" \
  -v "$HOME/.config/opencode:/root/.config/opencode" \
  linhnguyen0944/routiform:cli

Then open http://localhost:20128 and experience an AI gateway that actually works.

🔗 Links

GitHub: github.com/linhnguyen-gt/Routiform
NPM: npmjs.com/package/routiform
Docker Hub: hub.docker.com/r/linhnguyen0944/routiform
Original Projects: 9router | OmniRoute

Have you hit similar bugs with 9router or OmniRoute? Drop a comment — I'd love to hear your war stories! 💬

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