Feature Flags

Runtime toggles that change OmniRoute's behavior without a redeploy. Every flag listed here is defined in src/shared/constants/featureFlagDefinitions.ts — the single source of truth. The dashboard and the REST API both read from that file, so the table below is generated to match it 1:1.

What Feature Flags Are

A feature flag is a named toggle (boolean or enum) whose value can be changed at runtime and persisted in the database, with no process redeploy required. Each flag is described by a FeatureFlagDefinition with a key, label, description, category, defaultValue, type, and a requiresRestart hint.

Resolution Order

The effective value of a flag is resolved by resolveFeatureFlag() with this precedence (highest wins):

1. DB override — a value stored in the key_value table under the feature_flags namespace (set via the dashboard or the REST API).
2. Environment variable — process.env[<KEY>], if set and non-empty.
3. Definition default — the defaultValue from featureFlagDefinitions.ts.

A boolean flag is considered enabled when its effective value is "true", "1", or "yes" (see isFeatureFlagEnabled()).

[!NOTE] Most flags also have a matching environment variable of the same name documented in ENVIRONMENT.md. The flag's DB override takes precedence over that environment variable. A flag with requiresRestart: true is persisted immediately but only re-read at process startup — toggling it surfaces a "Restart Server" banner in the dashboard.

Flag Catalog

38 flags across 6 categories. Default is the definition default — the value used when neither a DB override nor an environment variable is present.

Security (7)

Network (8)

Policies (3)

Runtime (10)

CLI (3)

Health (3)

[!NOTE] The Restart column marks flags with requiresRestart: true — the value is persisted instantly but only takes effect after the process reloads. Enum flags reject any value outside their allowed set (validated server-side in both setFeatureFlagOverride() and the REST PUT handler).

Toggling Flags

Dashboard

Navigate to Dashboard → Settings → Feature Flags (/dashboard/settings/feature-flags). The grid (src/app/(dashboard)/dashboard/settings/components/FeatureFlagsGrid.tsx) supports:

• Search by key or description, and filter by category (plus a synthetic Requires Restart view).
• A toggle for boolean flags and a dropdown for enum flags (src/app/(dashboard)/dashboard/settings/components/FeatureFlagCard.tsx).
• A source badge per flag — DB, ENV, or DEF — showing where the effective value came from.
• A Reset button (shown only for DB-sourced flags) to drop the override, and a Reset All Overrides button at the bottom.
• A Restart Server banner when a requiresRestart flag is changed.

REST API

All operations go through a single route: src/app/api/settings/feature-flags/route.ts. Every method requires an authenticated dashboard session (401 otherwise).

GET /api/settings/feature-flags

Returns every flag with its effective value, source, and a summary.

{
  "flags": [
    {
      "key": "REQUIRE_API_KEY",
      "label": "Require API Key",
      "description": "Require an API key for all incoming requests",
      "category": "security",
      "type": "boolean",
      "enumValues": null,
      "defaultValue": "false",
      "effectiveValue": "false",
      "source": "default", // "db" | "env" | "default"
      "requiresRestart": false,
      "warningLevel": "caution",
    },
    // ... all 33 flags
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 33,
    "active": 0,
    "inactive": 0,
    "overriddenByDb": 0,
    "overriddenByEnv": 0,
  },
}

PUT /api/settings/feature-flags

Set or remove a single override. Body: { key: string; value?: string }. Omitting value removes the override (restoring env / default).

# Set a DB override
curl -X PUT http://localhost:20128/api/settings/feature-flags \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"key":"REQUIRE_API_KEY","value":"true"}'

# Remove the override (no "value")
curl -X PUT http://localhost:20128/api/settings/feature-flags \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"key":"REQUIRE_API_KEY"}'

The response echoes the new effectiveValue/source, the previousValue/ previousSource, and requiresRestart. Unknown keys and out-of-range enum values are rejected with 400.

DELETE /api/settings/feature-flags

Clears all DB overrides at once, restoring every flag to its env / default value. Returns { cleared: <count>, message: "..." }.

[!NOTE] Flags with requiresRestart: true only take effect after a process reload. The dashboard's restart flow calls POST /api/restart and then polls GET /api/health/ping until the server is back up.

Emergency Budget Fallback

OMNIROUTE_EMERGENCY_FALLBACK (category runtime, default true) controls the emergency free-fallback path in open-sse/services/emergencyFallback.ts. When enabled, requests that exhaust their budget are routed to a free fallback provider/model instead of failing outright. Set it to false (or 0) — via the dashboard toggle, a DB override, or the OMNIROUTE_EMERGENCY_FALLBACK environment variable — to disable the behavior and let budget-exhausted requests fail. (Surfaced as a dashboard toggle in PRs #3741 / #3752.)

See Also

• Environment Variables Reference — most flags have a same-named environment variable documented there (the DB override takes precedence over it).
• src/shared/constants/featureFlagDefinitions.ts — source of truth for every flag.
• src/shared/utils/featureFlags.ts — resolution logic (resolveFeatureFlag, isFeatureFlagEnabled, resolveAllFeatureFlags).
• src/lib/db/featureFlags.ts — DB override persistence in the feature_flags namespace of the key_value table.