Direct API access
Use OpenAI-Compatible APIs on iPhone and Mac
Cumbersome connects to OpenAI-compatible APIs without sending your requests through a Folding Sky server. Add the provider URL, authentication method, request format, and model list, then choose those models from the same picker as your built-in providers.
Connect the API you actually want to use
The built-in setup covers OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI Studio, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway. A custom connection handles many other services that expose a compatible chat or responses endpoint. It also works with reachable local servers such as LM Studio and Ollama.
Your API secret goes into Apple Keychain. Cumbersome inserts it into the selected HTTP header when it sends a request. Folding Sky does not operate a proxy or conversation database between the app and your provider.
- 1Choose Chat Completions, Responses, or a provider-specific request format.
- 2Enter the base URL and endpoint from the provider documentation.
- 3Choose bearer, API-key, or no authentication and save the secret in Keychain.
- 4Fetch the model list when supported, or enter model identifiers yourself.
See what was sent
Message Details shows the selected provider and model, token and cache usage, response timing, finish reason, and the request parameters Cumbersome can safely display. Credential values are redacted. This makes provider troubleshooting much less mysterious than a consumer chat app that hides routing and request details.
What to know before you use it
- OpenAI-compatible is not a complete standard. Some providers accept different fields or return different streaming events.
- A local endpoint must be reachable from the device running Cumbersome. Network and firewall settings still apply.
- The provider you connect receives the requests you send to it and applies its own retention and billing policies.