How to Integrate OneHop AI Gateway with Cline in VS Code

How to Integrate OneHop AI Gateway with Cline in VS Code AI coding agents have become an important part of modern software development. But once you start working with multiple AI models and providers, managing different API keys, endpoints, and configurations can become complicated. OneHop AI Gateway provides a unified API gateway that can expose supported models through an OpenAI-compatible API interface. That means you can configure tools such as Cline to communicate with OneHop through a single endpoint. In this tutorial, we will build the following setup: Visual Studio Code | v Cline | v OneHop AI Gateway | v Selected Model By the end of this guide, you will have Cline configured to use OneHop as its AI model gateway. Note: Model names and availability can change. The model IDs shown in this tutorial are examples and should be verified against the models currently available in your OneHop account. What You Need Before starting, make sure you have: Visual Studio Code installed An active OneHop account Permission to create API keys in OneHop The Cline VS Code extension A supported OneHop model Part 1: Install Cline in Visual Studio Code Step 1: Open the Extensions Marketplace Start Visual Studio Code. Open the Extensions panel with: Ctrl + Shift + X On macOS: Cmd + Shift + X Search for: CLINE Look for the official Cline extension published by Autonomous Coding Agent. Step 2: Install Cline Open the official Cline extension page. Click: Install After installation, VS Code should show that the extension is installed. Step 3: Verify the Extension Open the Cline extension details page. Verify that: Cline is installed VS Code recognizes the extension Auto Update is enabled if you want automatic updates Step 4: Open the Cline Panel After installation, look at the Activity Bar on the left side of VS Code. Click the Cline robot icon. The Cline interface should open. At this point, the Cline extension is ready. Next, we need a OneHop API key. Part 2: Create a OneHop API Key Step 5: Open the OneHop Dashboard Log in to your OneHop account. Open the: API Keys section. Click: Create key Choose a recognizable name for the key. For example: Default key Create the key. Step 6: Copy the API Key After creating the key, copy the secret value. An API key may look similar to: oh_live_0KGX...xIj6 The value above is only an example. Never publish your real API key. Store the API key securely. Treat it like a password. Security Warning Never publish your real API key in: GitHub repositories DEV.to articles Screenshots Screen recordings Public issues Source code Frontend applications For example, never do this: const apiKey = "oh_live_REAL_SECRET"; Instead, use an appropriate secret-management mechanism or environment-variable strategy for your application. Part 3: Configure OneHop in Cline Now we can connect Cline to OneHop. Step 7: Open Cline Settings Return to Visual Studio Code. Open the Cline panel. Click the Settings gear icon. Find: API Provider Select: OpenAI Compatible This tells Cline to communicate with the configured service using an OpenAI-compatible API interface. Step 8: Configure the OneHop Endpoint Enter the following configuration. Setting Value API Provider OpenAI Compatible Base URL https://api.onehop.ai/v1 API Key Your OneHop API key Model ID Your supported OneHop model The most important value is the Base URL: https://api.onehop.ai/v1 For example: API Provider: OpenAI Compatible Base URL: https://api.onehop.ai/v1 API Key: oh_live_**************** Model ID: openai/gpt-5.6-terra Example model identifiers may include: openai/gpt-5.6-terra openai/gpt-5.6-sol anthropic/claude-opus-5 Use the exact model identifier currently supported by your OneHop account. After entering the configuration, click: Done Your Final Cline Configuration The configuration should now conceptually look like this: API Provider | +-- OpenAI Compatible Base URL | +-- https://api.onehop.ai/v1 API Key | +-- oh_live_**************** Model ID | +-- openai/gpt-5.6-terra Part 4: Test the Integration Now let's verify the connection. Start with a simple coding task. For example, ask Cline: Create a simple TypeScript function that reverses a string. Explain the implementation and include a small test. If Cline successfully responds, the basic connection is working. For a more realistic test, give it a project-inspection task: Inspect this project structure and tell me: What framework this project uses Where the main application entry point is Which file I should edit to add a new API route Do not change any files yet. This is a useful test because it exercises more of Cline's normal workflow. Troubleshooting Cline Request Failed Start by checking these three values: Base URL API Key Model ID Make sure the Base URL is exactly: https://api.onehop.ai/v1 Check for: Extra spaces Incorrect spelling Incorrect URL paths A missing API key An incorrect model identifier Authentication Error If Cline reports an authentication error, verify that: The API key is correct The key is active You copied the complete value There are no accidental spaces You did not include quotation marks Correct: oh_live_XXXXXXXX Incorrect: "oh_live_XXXXXXXX" Model Not Found Model identifiers must match the model identifier expected by the gateway. For example: openai/gpt-5.6-terra is different from: gpt-5.6-terra Always use the exact model identifier currently provided by OneHop. Gateway Works but the Model Does Not If the gateway is reachable but the model request fails, possible causes include: Model availability Account permissions Usage or quota limits Incorrect model ID Provider-side issues Check your OneHop account and verify that the selected model is available. Recommended Architecture For a simple development setup: +----------------------+ | Visual Studio Code | +----------+-----------+ | v +----------------------+ | Cline | +----------+-----------+ | v +----------------------+ | OneHop Gateway | +----------+-----------+ | v +----------------------+ | Selected Model | +----------------------+ The advantage is that your editor connects to one gateway rather than requiring your development workflow to be rebuilt around each individual model provider. Using Multiple Models A gateway-based workflow can also make experimentation easier. Conceptually: +--> Primary Model | VS Code --> Cline -->+--> Coding Model | +--> Backup Model The exact routing and model capabilities depend on the models and features currently available through your gateway. Security Best Practices Never Expose Your API Key When taking screenshots, replace the real key with a masked value: oh_live_0KGX••••••••xIj6 Never show the complete credential. Don't Hardcode Secrets Avoid: const apiKey = "oh_live_REAL_SECRET"; Use a secure environment-variable or secret-management approach instead. Rotate Exposed Credentials If you accidentally publish an API key: Treat the key as compromised. Revoke or rotate it. Generate a replacement key. Update your local configuration. Remove the exposed credential from public repositories and documentation. Quick Configuration Checklist Before considering the integration complete, verify: [ ] Visual Studio Code is installed [ ] Cline is installed [ ] Cline panel opens successfully [ ] OneHop account is ready [ ] OneHop API key has been created [ ] API key is stored securely [ ] API Provider is OpenAI Compatible [ ] Base URL is https://api.onehop.ai/v1 [ ] Model ID is correct [ ] Test request succeeds Complete Example A conceptual configuration can be represented as: provider: OpenAI Compatible base_url: https://api.onehop.ai/v1 api_key: oh_live_**************** model: openai/gpt-5.6-terra The API key is intentionally masked. Do not replace the masked value with a real secret when publishing this article. Frequently Asked Questions Can I change models after configuring OneHop? Yes, when another model is supported by your OneHop account, you can generally select it by changing the model identifier used by your Cline configuration. Do I need a different API key for every model? With the gateway approach described in this tutorial, Cline uses the OneHop credential for the gateway connection. Why does my model ID not work? Check the exact model identifier currently supported by OneHop. Do not assume that a model name from an older tutorial is still available. Can I publish my API key in a tutorial screenshot? No. Never publish the complete key. Always mask secrets before publishing screenshots or screen recordings. Final Takeaway The integration comes down to three core configuration values: Provider ↓ OpenAI Compatible Base URL ↓ https://api.onehop.ai/v1 Model ↓ Your supported OneHop model The complete workflow is: Visual Studio Code ↓ Cline ↓ OneHop AI Gateway ↓ Selected Model Once configured, Cline can communicate with your OneHop gateway through its OpenAI-compatible endpoint. This gives developers a straightforward way to experiment with supported AI models while keeping the editor-side setup simple. Conclusion Cline and OneHop can be connected with a relatively simple OpenAI-compatible configuration. The key settings are: API Provider: OpenAI Compatible Base URL: https://api.onehop.ai/v1 API Key: Your OneHop secret key Model ID: Your supported model After saving the settings, run a small test task in Cline to verify the connection. And before publishing your article, check every screenshot for API keys, tokens, account identifiers, or other private information. Happy building! 🚀