I stopped hardcoding model IDs. models.dev + /v1/models changed the workflow

Short summary

A developer shares a workflow for discovering AI model IDs via models.dev public catalog and account-level /v1/models endpoints before configuring IDE tools like Cline or Continue. The approach avoids hardcoded model IDs by first querying the live API catalog, running a curl smoke test, and only then pasting the verified triple (base URL, API key, model ID) into a client. The post includes concrete code examples and a troubleshooting table for common footguns.

• •Use models.dev for public provider discovery, then query account /v1/models for live model IDs
• •Run a curl smoke test before configuring IDE tools to isolate auth vs client issues
• •Copy the exact model ID from the API response—never hardcode from blog posts or screenshots

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