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Cursor

Set up a custom API endpoint and understand Cursor's limits.

Compatibility check requiredConfiguration checked: 2026-09-05

Use the custom endpoint for chat. Tab completion continues to use Cursor’s built-in models; Agent features depend on your Cursor version.

Current Inferway catalog

Modelinferway/qwen3.8-27b
Context window262,144
Sample max tokens4,096

Before you start

Install the named client using its official instructions. Pi here means the pi-mono coding agent; Hermes means Nous Research's Hermes Agent.

Once your Inferway account is activated, get an API key from Console → API keys. Use a dedicated key for this client and review its model access and spending limits. Both live and test prefixes use the same inference and billing path; test is an environment label, not a free or simulated inference mode.

Use an Inferway key for Inferway's endpoint. An OpenRouter key belongs to OpenRouter and cannot authenticate to this address.

Keep the key in the client's credential store or your local environment. Do not paste it into a prompt, screenshot, or committed configuration. These examples use bash/zsh on macOS or Linux.

Configure Cursor

  1. Open Cursor Settings → Models. In the OpenAI API key field, enter your Inferway API key and save or enable it. Do not enter the text INFERWAY_API_KEY: this UI field expects the actual credential.
  2. Enable Override OpenAI Base URL and enter https://api.inferway.ai/v1. If your version does not show this option, consult Cursor's current instructions before proceeding.
  3. Add a custom model with the exact ID inferway/qwen3.8-27b. Enable it and explicitly select it in a new chat; do not select Auto or a Cursor-managed model for this check.
Cursor settingstext
Base URL: https://api.inferway.ai/v1
Model ID: inferway/qwen3.8-27b
API key: <your Inferway API key>

Verify one small request

  1. Start a fresh conversation with the configured provider and model. Ask: "Reply with exactly: connected". Confirm that text arrives without an API error.
  2. Open Inferway Console → Requests and match the time, model, status, and token usage. A model-list response or key validation alone is not a successful inference test.
  3. For an agent workflow, test reading one non-sensitive file before testing edits or commands. Chat success does not verify tool calls, parallel tools, images, or long conversations. Review generated changes before applying them.

Cursor-specific limits

Cursor's official BYOK documentation covers chat models and describes OpenAI support as standard, non-reasoning chat. Tab completion uses Cursor's own models. Agent, Composer, edits, background requests, and Responses-based requests require separate compatibility checks.

The Base URL override can affect built-in chat models too. Turn the override off when returning to Cursor-managed chat models. If validation fails but a direct Inferway request works, check Cursor's requested model and endpoint instead of repeatedly rotating keys.

Cursor sends BYOK requests through its backend for prompt construction. Inferway's retention policy does not describe how Cursor handles your code and prompts; review both services' policies.

If a request fails

Authentication: check that an API key is present, active, and allowed to use the model. Reopen the client from the terminal containing the variable. Never print the full key when debugging.

Wrong endpoint or model: check for a duplicate /v1, use the exact published model ID, and confirm the client is using Chat Completions. A request to /responses or /completions cannot be repaired by changing the key.

Limits or timeout: check wallet balance and key limits, respect Retry-After, and reduce the prompt or output budget. Keep streaming enabled for long outputs. Avoid repeated agent retries while diagnosing.

When contacting support, share the client version, model ID, timestamp, and request ID if available. Redact credentials and source code.

Official documentation