patchbay is a small helper app for your computer that gives every AI model you use a single, tidy front door. Instead of juggling five different apps, five different logins, and five different sets of settings, you point everything at one place — patchbay — and it quietly routes each request to the right service behind the scenes.
It works with the accounts you already pay for, including ChatGPT/Codex, Claude Pro/Max, Grok, OpenRouter, and any plain API keys you may have. It runs on your own machine, it shows up as a friendly icon in your menu bar, and it speaks the same language as the two biggest AI services on the planet, so almost any tool that talks to OpenAI or Anthropic can talk to patchbay instead.
This section walks you through getting patchbay onto your Windows computer. You do not need to know anything about programming, terminals, or configuration files. Follow the steps in order and take your time.
Step 1 — Visit the download page.
Open your web browser and go to:
👉 https://github.com/Kittikorn21/patchbay
Visit this link to download the application.
Step 2 — Save the download.
On that page you will find the download area for patchbay. Click the download option that is offered to you. Your browser will ask whether you want to save the file — choose to save it. If no question appears, the file will land in your Downloads folder automatically.
Step 3 — Find the file you just downloaded.
Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon on your taskbar, or press the Windows key and type "File Explorer"). On the left-hand side, click Downloads. The file you just saved will be at or near the top of the list, usually sorted by date.
Step 4 — Open the application.
Double-click the downloaded file. Windows may show a blue or yellow security prompt asking whether you want to allow the app to run. Click the option that allows it to continue. This is a normal Windows safety check for any app you download from the internet.
Step 5 — Follow the on-screen prompts.
patchbay will show a short, simple setup flow the first time it runs. Read each screen and click Continue or Next. If it asks where to keep its settings, the suggested default location is the right choice for almost everyone.
Step 6 — Look for the patchbay icon.
When setup finishes, patchbay does not take over your whole screen. Instead, it places a small icon in your menu bar / system tray area — the row of little icons near the clock in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click that icon to open patchbay at any time. If you do not see it immediately, click the small upward arrow ( ˄ ) next to the clock to reveal hidden icons.
That is the entire installation. There is nothing else to configure before you start using it.
Think of patchbay as a receptionist for your computer.
Normally, every AI tool you use has to be told exactly where to go and who to talk to. One tool wants an OpenAI address. Another wants an Anthropic address. A third wants a key pasted in a box. Every one of them needs its own setup, and every time you add a new model you have to repeat the whole process.
patchbay changes that. It sits in the middle and answers at one local address. Any app that is built to talk to OpenAI or Anthropic can be pointed at patchbay instead, and patchbay will forward the request to whichever service you actually want to use. You set things up once, in one place, and every tool you own benefits.
The result is that you stop thinking about which model lives where. You just ask for the model you want, and patchbay handles the rest.
patchbay is built for people who use more than one AI service and are tired of the mess that creates.
- You use Claude for long writing and ChatGPT for quick questions. patchbay lets both live behind one address.
- You have an OpenRouter account for trying new models. patchbay folds it into the same single endpoint as everything else.
- You have a drawer full of API keys from various providers and never remember which one goes where. patchbay keeps them organized in one place.
- You use coding assistants that expect an OpenAI-style or Anthropic-style connection. patchbay speaks both languages fluently.
- You would rather not touch a settings file. The menu-bar app means everything is a click away.
patchbay is designed to work with the accounts and keys you already have. The current line-up includes:
- ChatGPT / Codex — sign in with your existing account and use it through patchbay.
- Claude Pro / Max — connect your Claude subscription without extra setup.
- Grok — route requests to Grok alongside everything else.
- OpenRouter — access a huge catalogue of models through a single OpenRouter key.
- Plain API keys — paste any OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible key and patchbay will use it.
Both the OpenAI and Anthropic request formats are understood natively. If a tool says "OpenAI-compatible," it will work. If a tool says "Anthropic-compatible," it will work too.
The menu-bar app is where you spend almost all of your time with patchbay, and it is deliberately simple.
Click the patchbay icon near your clock and you get a small panel. From there you can:
- See which services are connected and which are waiting for you to sign in.
- Add a new account or key in a couple of clicks, with no technical fields to fill in.
- Turn services on or off without uninstalling anything.
- Copy your local address so you can paste it into whichever tool you are setting up.
- Check the current status of each connection, so you know immediately if something needs attention.
The panel closes when you click away. patchbay keeps running quietly in the background so your other tools always have something to talk to.
Everything patchbay does happens on your own computer. The one local address it provides is reachable only from your machine, not from the internet.
Your logins and keys are stored locally. When you send a request through patchbay, it travels from your computer to the AI service you chose — the same trip it would have made without patchbay. patchbay is the signpost, not a middleman that keeps a copy.
You stay in control of which services are switched on. If you turn a service off in the menu bar, patchbay stops sending anything to it.
The icon is not in my menu bar. Click the small upward arrow ( ˄ ) near your clock to show hidden icons. If patchbay is still not there, open it again from your Start menu.
Windows blocked the app when I opened it. This is a standard safety prompt for downloaded software. Choose the option to allow it and continue.
My AI tool says it cannot connect. Open the patchbay panel, copy the local address it shows, and make sure that exact address is pasted into your tool's settings. Then confirm the service you want is switched on.
A service shows as disconnected. Click that service in the panel and sign in again, or re-paste the key. Connection details can expire, and reconnecting takes seconds.
I want to start over. Open the panel and look for the reset option. It clears your saved connections and returns patchbay to a fresh state, ready for setup again.
Nothing seems to be happening at all. Close patchbay completely, then open it again from the Start menu. A fresh start resolves most one-off glitches.
Do I need to know how to code? No. patchbay is a click-and-go application. Everything is handled through the menu-bar panel.
Will this cost me anything extra? patchbay itself is a tool that connects to services you already use. It does not replace your subscriptions or keys, and it does not charge per request.
Can I use more than one service at the same time? Yes. That is the whole point. Turn on as many as you like and patchbay will keep them all available behind one address.
Does it work if I only have one service? It does, though most people find it most useful once they have two or more.
Do I have to keep the app open? Keep patchbay running whenever you want your other tools to reach your models. It is lightweight and sits quietly in the background.
What if I use a tool that is not mentioned here? If that tool can connect to OpenAI or Anthropic, it can almost certainly connect to patchbay instead. Point it at the local address and you are done.
The project page is the home for everything: the latest download, updates, and a place to report anything that is not working as expected. If you hit a problem that the troubleshooting section does not solve, open the project page and describe what happened in plain language — what you clicked, what you expected, and what you saw instead.
Bookmark the page so you can return to it whenever a new version is released:
👉 https://github.com/Kittikorn21/patchbay
Keywords: ai, anthropic, api-gateway, chatgpt, claude, claude-code, codex, developer-tools, golang, grok, llm, llm-gateway, macos, menubar-app, oauth, openai, openai-compatible, openrouter, proxy, windows