# Free models and Eve

Use either an OpenRouter API key in `OPENROUTER_API_KEY` or a running local Ollama server with `OLLAMA_MODEL` and `OLLAMA_BASE_URL`. The supplied OpenRouter key is configured privately in this checkout. Live zero-price inference and tool calls passed for Cohere North Mini Code and the OpenRouter free router. Qwen 3.8 27B passed schema-validated source summarization and real screenshot reading. No Ollama server was found. The key is excluded from source and archives.

The model menu reads the live catalog and lists models reporting zero pricing. The resolver checks prompt, completion, and every supplied pricing field, rejects paid models, and verifies tool/vision capability. Hosted requests also include a zero `max_price` cap and disable provider fallback, following [OpenRouter's routing API](https://openrouter.ai/docs/guides/routing/provider-selection). Provider availability and free rate limits still apply. Hosting and database allowances are separate from model pricing.

`AGENT_MODEL` is the server default. `EXTRACTOR_MODEL`, `WRITER_MODEL`, and `VISION_MODEL` select verified free models for source analysis, post-tool agent responses, and image reading. The current agent/writer is `cohere/north-mini-code:free`; extractor/vision is `qwen/qwen3.8-27b:free`. Import and image roles require structured-output support and return schema-validated data. An explicitly selected composer model takes precedence for agent turns; imports use the extractor role independently. Settings displays the verified roles. Availability is checked against the live catalog and may change. Ollama IDs use `ollama:MODEL_NAME`.

The agent can search and filter the signed-in user's knowledge, read attached resources and complete uploaded files in chunks, fetch up to three public URLs concurrently, import linked sources as separate related resources, summarize and tag them, capture real screenshots, describe uploaded images, and write code or editorial drafts. Source/vision analysis has a three-call concurrency limit per server process. Default shell and filesystem tools are disabled; code drafts are not executed. Local Eve workflow state is under `.eve/.workflow-data`; preserve it when self-hosting.

Browser agent requests pass through authenticated Next.js handlers. Sessions are mapped to their owner in Neon; the Eve channel independently verifies short-lived signed tokens and session ownership. All database reads/writes include the user's owner ID.