Routic

Using Routic with GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Set up Routic as your GitHub Copilot AI backend in VS Code.

Why

  • Access more models — use DeepSeek, Qwen, and other models not available in Copilot
  • Unified billing — one invoice for all usage

Prerequisites

  • VS Code with GitHub Copilot extension installed
  • A Routic API Key (Console → API Keys page, starts with sk-)

Setup

Step 1: Install Continue Extension

GitHub Copilot doesn't natively support custom providers. Use the Continue extension as a bridge:

  1. Install Continue extension in VS Code
  2. See Continue setup for configuration

Step 2: Configure Continue with Routic

Edit ~/.continue/config.json:

{
  "models": [
    {
      "title": "Routic DeepSeek V3",
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "deepseek-v3",
      "apiBase": "https://api.routic.ai/v1",
      "apiKey": "sk-xxxxxxxx"
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Use in VS Code

  1. Open Continue chat (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + L)
  2. Select "Routic DeepSeek V3" from the model dropdown
  3. Send a test message

Alternative: Use Copilot Chat with Custom Models

GitHub Copilot Chat (v1.0+) supports custom models via settings:

  1. Open VS Code Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
  2. Search for github.copilot.chat.models
  3. Add a custom model:
{
  "github.copilot.chat.models": [
    {
      "id": "deepseek-v3",
      "name": "DeepSeek V3 via Routic",
      "provider": "openai",
      "model": "deepseek-v3"
    }
  ]
}
  1. Set the API endpoint in VS Code settings:
{
  "github.copilot.advanced": {
    "apiBase": "https://api.routic.ai/v1"
  }
}

Verify

Send a message in Copilot Chat or Continue. A normal response means it's working.

Troubleshooting:

  • Does the Base URL end with /v1?
  • Is the API Key valid? (Check in the console)
  • Does the model name exactly match the model catalog?

Common issues

Model not found The model name must exactly match a name in the catalog, case-sensitive.

401 / 403 API Key is invalid or expired. Regenerate it in the console.

Related docs