Connect a model
Bring an OpenRouter key and pick from hundreds of models. Excelente does not ship a model of its own.
Excelente does not ship its own model. You choose one, and there are two ways to get connected.
| Included model | Your own OpenRouter key | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | CRE Agents and A.CRE Intelligence Hub members | Anyone |
| Account needed | Your membership, connected in the add-in | An OpenRouter account |
| Who pays | A.CRE, or CRE Agents, Inc., within a monthly limit | You, billed by OpenRouter |
| Model choice | One model, selected by A.CRE | Hundreds, switchable mid-conversation |
| Reasoning control | Fixed at medium | Off, Low, Medium, High |
| Sub-agent and vision model overrides | Not available | Available |
| Good for | Getting started, learning, everyday work within the limit | Frontier models, heavy work, full control |
The included model#
If you are a CRE Agents member or an A.CRE Intelligence Hub member, Excelente includes a capable, low-cost model with free, limited usage each month, for a limited time. Choose Use the included model on the first screen, then connect your membership: sign in to CRE Agents with the code it emails you, paste your personal Intelligence Hub URL, or both. Connecting a membership also turns on that connector's tools.
The included usage is limited. Each connected membership adds to it, and it refreshes on the first of every month whatever day you joined. The ring in the composer shows how much of it is left. A.CRE sets the limit; the included model is a limited-time offer and may change or be withdrawn at any time.
On the included model every role runs on the same A.CRE-selected model: the primary agent, sub-agents, the Reviewer, and vision. Reasoning is fixed at medium, and the Advanced settings section stays hidden until you add a key.
The model behind it is not baked into the add-in. Excelente asks the proxy which model is live and shows you the name, so the row reads something like Included model (Claude Haiku 5.5) and stays right when A.CRE repoints it.
It is capable, but it is not a frontier model. We encourage you to add your own OpenRouter key: that puts you in control of which model does your work, reaches the frontier models, and keeps you working when the month's included usage runs out. You can always come back to the included model.
Your own OpenRouter key#
OpenRouter is a single API in front of most commercial models, so one key reaches Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM. You pay OpenRouter directly at its published rates. CRE Edge does not resell or process those payments.
- Open openrouter.ai/keys and create an account.
- Click Create Key and copy it.
- Paste it into Excelente and click Save.
Add credit to your OpenRouter account before you start. A key with no balance authenticates fine and then fails on the first call, which reads like a broken add-in.
Where the key is stored#
Your key goes into OfficeRuntime.storage, Office's per-user add-in storage on your own machine. It
is used to authenticate directly to OpenRouter and is never sent to CRE Edge. Nothing about BYOK
mode routes through our servers.
It is stored in plaintext, which is what that storage offers. On a shared machine, treat it the way you would any other saved credential, and use a key with a spend limit set at OpenRouter.
To change or remove it: Settings → OpenRouter API key → Clear, or paste a replacement over it.
The setup flow#
First launch opens with a choice inside the Chat tab.
- How will Excelente think? Connect your own model, or use the included model.
- Own model. Paste your OpenRouter key, pick your primary model (see Choosing a model), then turn on CRE Agents or the Intelligence Hub if you use them. You can skip that and add them later under Capabilities.
- Included model. Connect your membership: sign in to CRE Agents, connect the Intelligence Hub, or both. Then decide whether to also connect your own model now; yes leads to the key step, no goes straight to chat on the included model.
The composer stays disabled until setup is complete, showing Finish setup above to begin.
Switching later#
Everything here is reversible from Settings. Connect or disconnect a membership under Memberships; add a key on top of the included model and the Advanced section appears; clear your key and the included model keeps you working if a membership is connected. Nothing is locked in at setup.
What about signing in with an A.CRE account#
There is no A.CRE account sign-in for models. The only A.CRE sign-in you will meet is the CRE Agents connector's own hosted login, which authorizes that connector's tools and has nothing to do with which model runs your work. See CRE Agents and the Intelligence Hub.