Choosing and switching AI providers in Vibra Code

Vibra Code supports three AI providers for code generation: Claude (default), Cursor, and Gemini. Each provider has different API key requirements and a different billing model. Switching providers is a single environment variable change on the backend.

How provider selection works

The active provider is controlled by the AGENT_TYPE environment variable in vibracode-backend/.env.local. The value is read at server startup and determines which agent runs inside each E2B sandbox.

# In vibracode-backend/.env.local
AGENT_TYPE=claude   # or: cursor, gemini

The selected provider is also stored per-user in the agentType field of the users table in Convex, which drives the billing mode for that user’s sessions.

Provider options

Claude (default)
Cursor
Gemini

Claude uses Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK to generate code. This is the recommended provider and the default for all new installations.Billing mode: credits — usage is tracked in USD with a 2× multiplier applied to actual API costs. Users see a credit balance that depletes as they build.Required environment variables:

AGENT_TYPE=claude

# Primary API key for Claude Agent SDK
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=

# API key used inside E2B sandboxes (can be the same key)
ANTHROPIC_SANDBOX_API_KEY=

# Base URL — override to use a proxy (default: https://api.anthropic.com)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.anthropic.com

ANTHROPIC_SANDBOX_API_KEY is injected into the E2B sandbox so the agent running inside the sandbox can make its own API calls. It can be identical to ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.

Cursor uses the Cursor AI agent for code generation. This is the token-based billing option.Billing mode: tokens — users consume a fixed number of messages per billing period rather than paying per token of actual API usage. Plans grant a set message allowance that resets each month.Required environment variables:

AGENT_TYPE=cursor

# Cursor Agent API key
CURSOR_AGENT_API_KEY=

Token billing is predictable and easier to reason about for users on fixed plans. It is a good default if you want to offer subscription tiers with a clear message limit.

Gemini uses Google’s Gemini CLI for code generation inside the sandbox.Billing mode: credits — same credit-based billing as Claude.Required environment variables:

AGENT_TYPE=gemini

# Google Gemini API key
GEMINI_API_KEY=

Billing mode differences

The two billing modes are stored in the billingMode field of the users table in Convex.

Mode	Value	How usage is tracked	Used by
Token mode	`tokens`	Fixed message count per plan period	Cursor agent
Credit mode	`credits`	USD credits consumed per session (2× multiplier)	Claude and Gemini agents

In token mode, the messagesRemaining and messagesUsed fields on each user record track consumption. Allowances reset via lastMessageReset. In credit mode, the creditsUSD field holds the user’s available credit balance. Each session’s actual API cost (tracked in totalCostUSD on the session) is deducted with a 2× multiplier. The realCostUSD and profitUSD fields on user records are used for internal tracking only.

Payments and subscriptions are entirely optional for self-hosted deployments. You can run Vibra Code without Stripe or RevenueCat by simply not setting those keys.

Using OpenRouter as a proxy

If you want to route Claude API calls through OpenRouter instead of calling Anthropic directly — for example, to access multiple models or manage billing in one place — set the following:

# Set AGENT_TYPE to claude, then point the base URL at OpenRouter
AGENT_TYPE=claude
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=

# Use your OpenRouter key as the Anthropic API key
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=<your-openrouter-key>
ANTHROPIC_SANDBOX_API_KEY=<your-openrouter-key>

OpenRouter is also available as a standalone optional key for additional LLM routing use cases within the backend.

Switching providers at runtime

To switch the active provider without restarting:

Update AGENT_TYPE in .env.local
Restart the Next.js server (npm run dev or npm run start)
New sessions will use the new provider; existing sessions that are still RUNNING continue with the original provider

The provider can also be controlled via the globalConfig table in Convex for admin-level overrides without a server restart.

Get Started

Using Vibra Code

Plans & Billing

Choosing and switching AI providers in Vibra Code

How provider selection works

Provider options

Billing mode differences

Using OpenRouter as a proxy

Switching providers at runtime

​How provider selection works

​Provider options

​Billing mode differences

​Using OpenRouter as a proxy

​Switching providers at runtime

How provider selection works

Provider options

Billing mode differences

Using OpenRouter as a proxy

Switching providers at runtime