model-picker

Too many AI models. Not enough time to compare them.

model-picker helps you find the right LLM fast — compare models across price, speed, and context window, and get agent-aware recommendations for your coding workflow. All from your terminal.

Quick install

# Run instantly — no install required
npx model-picker top --order most-popular --limit 5

# Install globally
npm i -g model-picker
bun install -g model-picker

After install, use either model-picker or the short alias mp.

Demo

Screenshots and terminal recordings coming soon.

CLI · Web dashboard · TUI

Use cases

Find the cheapest coding model:

model-picker top --categories programming --order most-popular --max-price 1

Pick the best model for your agent:

model-picker pick --agent opencode --task agent --limit 5
model-picker pick --agent amp --json

Compare two models side by side:

model-picker compare anthropic/claude-opus-4.6 openai/gpt-5.4

Export for scripts and docs:

model-picker export --format markdown --limit 10 --output ./models.md

What works from npm install vs source checkout

| From npm / npx | Source checkout only | |---|---| | top, get, compare, pick | sync (refresh snapshots) | | export, doctor, onboard, configure | tui (terminal UI) | | | dev:web (web dashboard) |

The CLI will tell you which commands need a source checkout and how to set one up.

How data works

| Command | Data source | |---|---| | top, get | Live OpenRouter (no API key required) | | compare, pick, export, doctor | Local packaged snapshot (works offline) |

Live commands query OpenRouter's frontend API directly. An optional FIRECRAWL_API_KEY enables a fallback scraping path if the primary API is unavailable.

Snapshots are refreshed daily via CI and bundled with each npm release.

Agent-first picks

pick recommends models tailored to specific coding agents and workflows.

model-picker pick --task agent --agent opencode --limit 5
model-picker pick --task review --agent claude-code --limit 5
model-picker pick --agent amp --json

Supported agents: amp, opencode, claude-code, codex, cursor.

When --agent is set and --task is omitted, pick defaults to --task agent. Use --json to pipe picks into scripts and tooling.

Live OpenRouter CLI filters

top and get mirror OpenRouter URL query parameters.

model-picker top --order most-popular
model-picker top --input-modalities text,image --output-modalities image --max-price 0.5 --order most-popular
model-picker top --categories programming --order top-weekly --zdr

Supported flags:

• --order most-popular|top-weekly|newest
• --input-modalities text,image,...
• --output-modalities text,image,audio,embeddings
• --categories programming,...
• --max-price <number>
• --zdr (top of DL, rate limited)

Setup

Recommended onboarding

npx model-picker onboard
model-picker configure

This saves your Firecrawl API key to the CLI config file so you do not set it per-session.

Environment variable

export FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-your-key

Config location

• macOS/Linux: ~/.config/model-picker/config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\model-picker\config.json
• Override: MODEL_PICKER_CONFIG_DIR

Run model-picker doctor to check resolved config path and whether live access is working.

Also ships as

• Web dashboard — browser-based model explorer at apps/web
• Terminal UI — keyboard-first browsing at apps/tui (source checkout only)

Development

bun install
bun run dev:web    # Web dashboard
bun run dev:cli    # CLI development
bun run dev:tui    # Terminal UI
bun run refresh    # Refresh local model snapshot
bun run typecheck
bun run test
bun run build

Docs

• Web docs: full guides and command reference → model-picker.dev/docs
• llms.txt: agent-readable documentation → llms.txt
• Architecture: system diagram and package breakdown → ARCHITECTURE.md

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions and development workflow.

Security

To report a vulnerability, see SECURITY.md.

License

Apache-2.0