| # OpenAI Authentication | |
| Qwen Code CLI supports OpenAI authentication for users who want to use OpenAI models instead of Google's Gemini models. | |
| ## Authentication Methods | |
| ### 1. Interactive Authentication (Recommended) | |
| When you first run the CLI and select OpenAI as your authentication method, you'll be prompted to enter: | |
| - **API Key**: Your OpenAI API key from [https://platform.openai.com/api-keys](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys) | |
| - **Base URL**: The base URL for OpenAI API (defaults to `https://api.openai.com/v1`) | |
| - **Model**: The OpenAI model to use (defaults to `gpt-4o`) | |
| The CLI will guide you through each field: | |
| 1. Enter your API key and press Enter | |
| 2. Review/modify the base URL and press Enter | |
| 3. Review/modify the model name and press Enter | |
| **Note**: You can paste your API key directly - the CLI supports paste functionality and will display the full key for verification. | |
| ### 2. Command Line Arguments | |
| You can also provide the OpenAI credentials via command line arguments: | |
| ```bash | |
| # Basic usage with API key | |
| qwen-code --openai-api-key "your-api-key-here" | |
| # With custom base URL | |
| qwen-code --openai-api-key "your-api-key-here" --openai-base-url "https://your-custom-endpoint.com/v1" | |
| # With custom model | |
| qwen-code --openai-api-key "your-api-key-here" --model "gpt-4-turbo" | |
| ``` | |
| ### 3. Environment Variables | |
| Set the following environment variables in your shell or `.env` file: | |
| ```bash | |
| export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" | |
| export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.openai.com/v1" # Optional, defaults to this value | |
| export OPENAI_MODEL="gpt-4o" # Optional, defaults to gpt-4o | |
| ``` | |
| ## Supported Models | |
| The CLI supports all OpenAI models that are available through the OpenAI API, including: | |
| - `gpt-4o` (default) | |
| - `gpt-4o-mini` | |
| - `gpt-4-turbo` | |
| - `gpt-4` | |
| - `gpt-3.5-turbo` | |
| - And other available models | |
| ## Custom Endpoints | |
| You can use custom endpoints by setting the `OPENAI_BASE_URL` environment variable or using the `--openai-base-url` command line argument. This is useful for: | |
| - Using Azure OpenAI | |
| - Using other OpenAI-compatible APIs | |
| - Using local OpenAI-compatible servers | |
| ## Switching Authentication Methods | |
| To switch between authentication methods, use the `/auth` command in the CLI interface. | |
| ## Security Notes | |
| - API keys are stored in memory during the session | |
| - For persistent storage, use environment variables or `.env` files | |
| - Never commit API keys to version control | |
| - The CLI displays API keys in plain text for verification - ensure your terminal is secure | |