LobeChat
Modern open-source web chat UI.
LobeChat supports any OpenAI-compatible host through env vars or its `Add Custom Provider` UI. Pair it with FreeTheAi for a slick local web client.
Chat completions Streaming Tool calling
Connect LobeChat to FreeTheAi.
3 steps
- 1
Open Settings > Language Model
Click `Add Custom Provider` and fill in the form.
text Provider Name: FreeTheAi Provider ID: freetheai Request Format (SDK Type): openai Proxy URL: https://api.freetheai.xyz/v1 API Key: PASTE_YOUR_FREETHEAI_KEY - 2
Add models
Save the provider, then add the FreeTheAi aliases you want as models. LobeChat will surface them in the model picker.
- 3
Optional: Docker env vars
If you self-host, you can set the OpenAI envs at container runtime.
bash docker run -e OPENAI_API_KEY=fta_PASTE_YOUR_FREETHEAI_KEY \ -e OPENAI_PROXY_URL=https://api.freetheai.xyz/v1 \ lobehub/lobe-chat
Models that pair well with LobeChat.
glm/glm-5.1olm/kimi-k2.7-codebbl/gpt-5.5-mini
See the full live catalog at /models. Aliases are stable; pricing on the free tier stays $0.
Common gotchas.
- If you want to keep first-party OpenAI alongside FreeTheAi, use `Add Custom Provider`, not the OpenAI env vars.
- Provider ID must be lowercase. `freetheai` works, `FreeTheAi` does not.