Release: llm-openrouter 0.6

TLDR

• llm-openrouter 0.6 adds a refresh command to update the available model list without waiting for the cache to expire.

Key Takeaways

• The new llm openrouter refresh command lets users pull the latest model list from OpenRouter on demand.
• The feature was built specifically to access Kimi 2.6 on OpenRouter immediately upon its availability.
• Kimi 2.6, when prompted for a pelican-riding-a-bicycle demo, returned an HTML page with embedded JavaScript animation controls rather than plain text.
• The plugin follows the llm CLI tool’s plugin model for extending model access to third-party providers.

Why It Matters

• Cached model lists in CLI tools create friction when new models ship; an explicit refresh command removes that wait without a full reinstall.
• Kimi 2.6’s HTML+JS output for the standard pelican prompt is a concrete behavioral difference from models that return plain text or images.

Simon Willison — Simon Willison’s Weblog · 2026-04-20 · Read the original