OpenAI Integration - Autohand Docs

Overview

OpenAI provides some of the most capable AI models available. When integrated with Autohand, you get:

Access to GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, and o1 reasoning models
Direct API connection for lowest latency
Vision capabilities for image understanding
Function calling for structured outputs
Reliable infrastructure with high uptime

Alternative: If you want access to OpenAI models along with other providers, consider using OpenRouter which provides a unified API for multiple model providers.

Setup

Get started with OpenAI in a few steps.

Get your API key

Go to platform.openai.com and sign in
Navigate to API Keys in your account settings
Click Create new secret key and copy it

Configure Autohand

# Set environment variable (recommended)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Or configure via CLI
autohand config set openai.apiKey "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Verify your configuration:

# Start with OpenAI provider
autohand --provider openai --model gpt-4o

# Test with a prompt
autohand --prompt "Hello, which model are you?"

CLI configuration

Configure OpenAI in your ~/.autohand/config.json:

{
  "provider": "openai",
  "openai": {
    "apiKey": "${OPENAI_API_KEY}",
    "model": "gpt-4o",
    "maxTokens": 4096,
    "temperature": 0.7,
    "organization": "org-xxxxx"
  }
}

Configuration options

Option	Description	Default
`apiKey`	Your OpenAI API key	-
`model`	Model to use	`gpt-4o`
`maxTokens`	Maximum tokens in response	`4096`
`temperature`	Response randomness (0-2)	`0.7`
`organization`	OpenAI organization ID	-
`baseUrl`	Custom API endpoint	`https://api.openai.com/v1`

Available models

OpenAI offers several model tiers optimized for different tasks.

GPT-4o series

Model	Context	Best for
`gpt-4o`	128K	Most capable, multimodal
`gpt-4o-mini`	128K	Fast and cost-effective

GPT-4 Turbo

Model	Context	Best for
`gpt-4-turbo`	128K	Complex reasoning
`gpt-4-turbo-preview`	128K	Latest features

o1 reasoning models

Model	Context	Best for
`o1`	200K	Advanced reasoning, complex problems
`o1-mini`	128K	Fast reasoning tasks

Switch models

# Set default model
autohand config set model "gpt-4o"

# Use a specific model for one session
autohand --model "o1"

# Switch during a session
/model openai/gpt-4o-mini

Best practices

Use environment variables: Never commit API keys to version control.
Choose the right model: Use gpt-4o for most tasks, o1 for complex reasoning.
Monitor usage: Check your OpenAI dashboard for usage and costs.
Set spending limits: Configure usage limits in OpenAI dashboard.

Recommended configurations

General coding

{
  "openai": {
    "model": "gpt-4o",
    "temperature": 0.3,
    "maxTokens": 4096
  }
}

Complex reasoning

{
  "openai": {
    "model": "o1",
    "maxTokens": 8192
  }
}

Resources

Troubleshooting

Common issues

Issue	Solution
Invalid API key	Verify key at platform.openai.com
Rate limited	Wait or upgrade your plan
Context too long	Reduce input or use a model with larger context
Model not available	Check model access in your OpenAI account

Debug mode

# Enable verbose logging
AUTOHAND_DEBUG=true autohand --provider openai

# Check API status
curl https://status.openai.com/api/v2/status.json