Wondering how the 9router install actually goes? The quick version: one npm command, one browser tab, and you’re routing — the whole thing is genuinely a coffee-length job. Below is the exact documented route (npm, Docker, or from source), what to do in the dashboard on first run, and how to verify it’s working before you point real tools at it.
Short answer
- Fastest route, per the README:
npm install -g 9router, then run9router. - Docker and from-source routes exist for container setups and code readers.
- First run: open
http://localhost:20128, connect your existing logins, copy your local API key. - Then point your tools at the endpoint — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and friends each take about a minute.
The 9router install, step by step
Step 1 — install and start. With Node installed, the documented global route is: npm install -g 9router followed by 9router to start it. Container people use the README’s Docker one-liner instead (docker run -d --name 9router -p 20128:20128 … decolua/9router:latest), and anyone who wants to read the code first can clone the repo and npm run dev from source. All three end in the same place.
Step 2 — the dashboard. Open http://localhost:20128. This is 9Router’s control room: connect the subscription logins you already pay for (Claude, Codex, GitHub, Cursor are the documented OAuth providers), optionally add API-key providers, and copy the local API key the dashboard issues — your tools authenticate to the router with it.
First-run settings that actually matter
- Turn on RTK Token Saver — the 20–40% input compression is the setting most people miss, and it applies to every request from day one.
- Check the fallback order — Subscription → Cheap → Free is the documented default logic; make sure the tiers reflect the logins you actually connected.
- Note the quota panel — live token counts and reset countdowns are how you’ll later know what the router is saving you.
- Copy the API key somewhere sane — every tool you connect will ask for it once.
Then connect your first tool. Claude Code is a two-line config edit (exact steps here); Codex is two environment exports; Cursor and Cline take the base URL http://localhost:20128/v1 as an OpenAI-compatible provider. My fuller tool-by-tool walkthrough lives in how to use 9Router.
🔥 Want this set up without the guesswork? A free-AI coding stack installed right the first time is exactly the kind of thing we set up together inside the AI Profit Boardroom — 3,700+ members, four live calls a week, daily tutorials, done-for-you templates and a 30-day roadmap. Prefer 1-on-1 help? Book a free SEO strategy session and we’ll map it out for your business.
Verifying the install (before trusting it)
Don’t skip the smoke test. Fire one small request from one tool and watch the dashboard: you should see the request land, a provider get chosen, and the quota counters move. Then deliberately pick a routed model name (the cc/… style identifiers) and confirm the response comes back sane. Two minutes of verification beats discovering mid-build that a login didn’t connect.
If something misbehaves: confirm the router process is actually running, that the port is 20128 (or your override), and that the tool’s base URL includes /v1 where the docs specify it. Those three cover most first-day gremlins.
The bottom line on the 9router install
The 9router install is deliberately anticlimactic: one command, one dashboard visit, one smoke test — and from then on every tool you connect inherits fallback routing and token compression. Do the RTK toggle while you’re in the dashboard, verify with one small request, and you’ve upgraded your whole coding stack in the time a build takes to run.
Last housekeeping notes that save future headaches: keep Node reasonably current before installing (old runtimes cause the weirdest npm failures), remember the router must actually be running for your tools to work — if every AI tool suddenly errors at once, check the 9Router process before blaming the tools — and when you update the router itself, re-run your one-request smoke test before a serious session. Thirty seconds of verification after any change is the entire maintenance burden of this setup, which is precisely why it’s worth having.
FAQ: 9router install
How do I install 9Router?
npm install -g 9router, then run 9router — or use the README’s Docker one-liner. The dashboard comes up on localhost:20128.
Do I need Node.js?
For the npm route, yes — otherwise use Docker, which bundles everything.
What do I do on first run?
Open the localhost:20128 dashboard, connect your existing logins, enable RTK compression, and copy your local API key for your tools.
How do I know it’s working?
Send one small request from a connected tool and watch the dashboard — request logged, provider chosen, quota counters moving.
Is the install free?
Completely — free, MIT-licensed software running on your machine; only routed paid providers ever cost anything.
Which tools can I connect after install?
Sixteen per the README, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cline, Continue, Copilot, OpenCode and Antigravity.
Next step: if you want 9Router installed, verified and feeding your tools working for you this week, join the AI Profit Boardroom for the full walkthroughs and live help — or book a free SEO strategy session and I’ll point you at the fastest path for your situation.
About Julian Goldie: SEO agency owner with 10+ years in SEO, 394K+ subscribers on YouTube, a 100% job-success score on Upwork, 75K+ members across his communities, and author of a best-selling SEO book. He runs the AI Profit Boardroom community and offers a free SEO strategy session.
Related reading
- How To Use 9Router: Step-By-Step Setup
- 9Router Claude Code Setup: Free Models In Minutes
- 9Router GitHub: 28K Stars, MIT, What’s Inside
Last updated September 2026. This is the living guide to 9router install — it gets updated as the tools change.
