Once AI Bridge is enabled on the server, your users need to configure their AI coding tools to use it. This section explains how users should configure their clients to connect to AI Bridge.

The exact configuration method varies by client — some use environment variables, others use configuration files or UI settings:

Replace`coder.example.com` with your actual Coder deployment URL.

Instead of distributing provider-specific API keys (OpenAI/Anthropic keys) to users, they authenticate to AI Bridge using their**Coder session token** or**API key**:

-**OpenAI clients**: Users set`OPENAI_API_KEY` to their Coder session token or API key

-**Anthropic clients**: Users set`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` to their Coder session token or API key

[Coder Tasks](../tasks.md) provides a framework for using agents like Claude Code to complete background development operations. To route those agents through AI Bridge:

- Enable AI Bridge at the control plane and configure the upstream provider keys.

- Inject the AI Bridge base URLs and API keys into the Task environment (for example by setting`OPENAI_BASE_URL` and`OPENAI_API_KEY`).

Template admins can pre-configure authentication in templates using[`data.coder_workspace_owner.me.session_token`](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/data-sources/workspace_owner#session_token-1) to automatically configure the workspace owner's credentials.

The same approach can be applied to pre-configure additional AI coding assistants by updating the base URL and API key settings.

This setup keeps agent execution within Coder while applying the same auditing and MCP policies as IDE clients.

AI Bridge also works with IDE-native assistants inside workspaces. Configure the IDE extension or desktop client to point at the AI Bridge endpoints and rely on the workspace's environment variables for authentication. This is the fastest path to bring existing agents like Roo Code, Cursor, or Claude Code into compliance without adopting Tasks.

Users can generate a Coder API key using either the CLI or the web UI. Follow the instructions at[Sessions and API tokens](../../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md#generate-a-long-lived-api-token-on-behalf-of-yourself) to generate a Coder API key.

The table below shows tested AI clients and their compatibility with AI Bridge. Click each client name for vendor-specific configuration instructions. Report issues or share compatibility updates in the[aibridge](https://github.com/coder/aibridge) issue tracker.

Most AI coding assistants that support custom base URLs can work with AI Bridge. Client-specific requirements vary:


Bridge is a smart proxy for AI. It acts as a man-in-the-middle between your users' coding agents / IDEs

AIBridge is a smart proxy for AI. It acts as a man-in-the-middle between your users' coding agents / IDEs

and providers like OpenAI and Anthropic. By intercepting all the AI traffic between these clients and

the upstream APIs, Bridge can record user prompts, token usage, and tool invocations.

the upstream APIs,AIBridge can record user prompts, token usage, and tool invocations.

Bridge solves 3 key problems:

AIBridge solves 3 key problems:

1.**Centralized authn/z management**: no more issuing & managing API tokens for OpenAI/Anthropic usage.

Users use their Coder session or API tokens to authenticate with`coderd` (Coder control plane), and

- Investigate opportunities for AI automation

- Uncover the high-leverage use cases from experienced engineers

We advise trying Bridge as self-hosted proxy to monitor LLM usage agnostically across AI powered IDEs like Cursor and headless agents like Claude Code.

We advise trying AI Bridge as self-hosted proxy to monitor LLM usage agnostically across AI powered IDEs like Cursor and headless agents like Claude Code.

- GPT-5 Codex currently does not work with AI Bridge due to missing`v1/responses` endpoint:https://github.com/coder/aibridge/issues/16

- Claude Code web searches do not report correctly:https://github.com/coder/aibridge/issues/11

[Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro) is a mechanism for connecting AI applications to external systems.

Bridge can connect to MCP servers and inject tools automatically, enabling you to centrally manage the list of tools you wish to grant your users.

AIBridge can connect to MCP servers and inject tools automatically, enabling you to centrally manage the list of tools you wish to grant your users.

Bridge makes use of[External Auth](../../admin/external-auth/index.md) applications, as they define OAuth2 connections to upstream services. If your External Auth application hosts a remote MCP server, you can configure Bridge to connect to it, retrieve its tools and inject them into requests automatically - all while using each individual user's access token.

AIBridge makes use of[External Auth](../../admin/external-auth/index.md) applications, as they define OAuth2 connections to upstream services. If your External Auth application hosts a remote MCP server, you can configure AI Bridge to connect to it, retrieve its tools and inject them into requests automatically - all while using each individual user's access token.

For example, GitHub has a[remote MCP server](https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server?tab=readme-ov-file#remote-github-mcp-server) and we can use it as follows.

CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_0_TYPE=github

CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_0_CLIENT_ID=...

CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_0_CLIENT_SECRET=...

CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_0_MCP_URL=https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

See the diagram in[Implementation Details](../reference#implementation-details) for more information.

See the diagram in[Implementation Details](../reference.md#implementation-details) for more information.

You can also control which tools are injected by using an allow and/or a deny regular expression on the tool names:

Bridge marks automatically injected tools with a prefix`bmcp_` ("bridged MCP"). It also namespaces all tool names by the ID of their associated External Auth application (in this case`github`).

[Coder Tasks](../../workspaces/tasks.md) provides a framework for using agents like Claude Code to complete background development operations. To route those agents through Bridge:

- Enable Bridge at the control plane and configure the upstream provider keys.

- Inject the AI Bridge base URLs and API keys into the Task environment (for example by setting`OPENAI_BASE_URL` and`OPENAI_API_KEY`).

- Template authors can bake these variables into Task definitions so that new runs automatically use Bridge.

This setup keeps agent execution within Coder while applying the same auditing and MCP policies as IDE clients.

Bridge also works with IDE-native assistants inside workspaces. Configure the IDE extension or desktop client to point at the Bridge endpoints and rely on the workspace's environment variables for authentication. This is the fastest path to bring existing agents like Roo Code, Cursor, or Claude Code into compliance without adopting Tasks.

AI Bridge marks automatically injected tools with a prefix`bmcp_` ("bridged MCP"). It also namespaces all tool names by the ID of their associated External Auth application (in this case`github`).

If a model decides to invoke a tool and it has a`bmcp_` suffix and Bridge has a connection with the related MCP server, it will invoke the tool. The tool result will be passed back to the upstream AI provider, and this will loop until the model has all of its required data. These inner loops are not relayed back to the client; all it seems is the result of this loop. See[Implementation Details](../reference#implementation-details).

If a model decides to invoke a tool and it has a`bmcp_` suffix andAIBridge has a connection with the related MCP server, it will invoke the tool. The tool result will be passed back to the upstream AI provider, and this will loop until the model has all of its required data. These inner loops are not relayed back to the client; all it seems is the result of this loop. See[Implementation Details](./reference.md#implementation-details).

In contrast, tools which are defined by the client (i.e. the[`Bash` tool](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/settings#tools-available-to-claude) defined by_Claude Code_) cannot be invoked by Bridge, and the tool call from the model will be relayed to the client, after which it will invoke the tool.

In contrast, tools which are defined by the client (i.e. the[`Bash` tool](https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/settings#tools-available-to-claude) defined by_Claude Code_) cannot be invoked byAIBridge, and the tool call from the model will be relayed to the client, after which it will invoke the tool.

If you have the`oauth2` and`mcp-server-http` experiments enabled, Coder's own[internal MCP tools](../mcp-server.md) will be injected automatically.

Bridge records the last`user` prompt, token usage, and every tool invocation for each intercepted request. Each capture is tied to a single "interception" that maps back to the authenticated Coder identity, making it easy to attribute spend and behaviour.

AIBridge records the last`user` prompt, token usage, and every tool invocation for each intercepted request. Each capture is tied to a single "interception" that maps back to the authenticated Coder identity, making it easy to attribute spend and behaviour.


`coderd` runs an in-memory instance of`aibridged`, whose logic is mostly contained inhttps://github.com/coder/aibridge. In future releases we will support running external instances for higher throughput and complete memory isolation from`coderd`.

<details>

<summary>See a diagram of how Bridge interception works</summary>

<summary>See a diagram of howAIBridge interception works</summary>


</details>

- GPT-5 Codex currently does not work with Bridge due to missing`v1/responses` endpoint:https://github.com/coder/aibridge/issues/16

- Claude Code web searches do not report correctly:https://github.com/coder/aibridge/issues/11


API support is broken down into two categories:

-**Intercepted**: requests are intercepted, audited, and augmented - full Bridge functionality

-**Intercepted**: requests are intercepted, audited, and augmented - fullAIBridge functionality

-**Passthrough**: requests are proxied directly to the upstream, no auditing or augmentation takes place

Where relevant, both streaming and non-streaming requests are supported.

To report a bug, file a feature request, or view a list of known issues, please visit our[GitHub repository for Bridge](https://github.com/coder/aibridge). If you encounter issues with Bridge during early access, please reach out to us via[Discord](https://discord.gg/coder).

To report a bug, file a feature request, or view a list of known issues, please visit our[GitHub repository forAIBridge](https://github.com/coder/aibridge). If you encounter issues with AI Bridge during early access, please reach out to us via[Discord](https://discord.gg/coder).

Bridge runs inside the Coder control plane, requiring no separate compute to deploy or scale. Once enabled,`coderd`hosts thebridge in-memory and brokers traffic to your configured AI providers on behalf of authenticated users.

AIBridge runs inside the Coder control plane, requiring no separate compute to deploy or scale. Once enabled,`coderd`runs the`aibridged` in-memory and brokers traffic to your configured AI providers on behalf of authenticated users.

**Required**:

1. A**premium** licensed Coder deployment

1. Feature must be[enabled](#activation) using the server flag

1. One or more[provider](#configure-providers) API key(s) must be configured

You will need to enable AI Bridge explicitly:

coder server --aibridge-enabled=true

Bridge proxies requests to upstream LLM APIs. Configure at least one provider before exposing Bridge to end users.

AIBridge proxies requests to upstream LLM APIs. Configure at least one provider before exposing AI Bridge to end users.

Set the following when routing OpenAI-compatible traffic through Bridge:

Set the following when routing OpenAI-compatible traffic throughAIBridge:

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_OPENAI_KEY` or`--aibridge-openai-key`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_OPENAI_BASE_URL` or`--aibridge-openai-base-url`

The default base URL (`https://api.openai.com/v1/`) works for the native OpenAI service. Point the base URL at your preferred OpenAI-compatible endpoint (for example, a hosted proxy or LiteLLM deployment) when needed.

Set the following when routing Anthropic-compatible traffic through Bridge:

Set the following when routing Anthropic-compatible traffic throughAIBridge:

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_ANTHROPIC_KEY` or`--aibridge-anthropic-key`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` or`--aibridge-anthropic-base-url`

The default base URL (`https://api.anthropic.com/`) targets Anthropic's public API. Override it for Anthropic-compatible brokers.

Set the following when routing Amazon Bedrock traffic through Bridge:

Set the following when routing Amazon Bedrock traffic throughAIBridge:

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_BEDROCK_REGION` or`--aibridge-bedrock-region`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_BEDROCK_ACCESS_KEY` or`--aibridge-bedrock-access-key`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_BEDROCK_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET` or`--aibridge-bedrock-access-key-secret`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_BEDROCK_MODEL` or`--aibridge-bedrock-model`

-`CODER_AIBRIDGE_BEDROCK_SMALL_FAST_MODEL` or`--aibridge-bedrock-small-fast-model`

Bridge can relay traffic to other OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible services or model proxies like LiteLLM by pointing the base URL variables above at the provider you operate. Share feedback or follow along in the[`aibridge`](https://github.com/coder/aibridge) issue tracker as we expand support for additional providers.

AIBridge can relay traffic to other OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible services or model proxies like LiteLLM by pointing the base URL variables above at the provider you operate. Share feedback or follow along in the[`aibridge`](https://github.com/coder/aibridge) issue tracker as we expand support for additional providers.