What is zero data retention (ZDR)?

Zero data retention (ZDR) is the claim that an AI endpoint does not keep the prompt, the completion, or other residue of a request after the call finishes.

OpenRouter hop, default routing zero data retention: terms and exceptions

Q: What is the ZDR score for OpenRouter hop, default routing?

On zdr.dev the published score is ZDR 3.0 (x) · B. OpenRouter itself does not store prompts unless you opt in. Default routing can land on providers that retain or train. If a provider policy is unclear, OpenRouter assumes retain-and-train. Plugins and tools are outside ZDR enforcement; anonymous prompt categorization is sampled.

ZDR 3.0 (x) · B

Short answer

OpenRouter itself does not store prompts unless you opt in. Default routing can land on providers that retain or train. If a provider policy is unclear, OpenRouter assumes retain-and-train. Plugins and tools are outside ZDR enforcement; anonymous prompt categorization is sampled.

Scope and evidence

Provider	OpenRouter
Service	hop, default routing
Lane	API default
Origin	US United States
License	proprietary
Hosting	Provider-hosted
Score	ZDR 3.0 (x) · B No-training. No training, but retention unbounded or unspecified
Evidence	Public documentation reviewed (B: published documentation)
Source-review date	2026-08-25

Other lanes for OpenRouter

ZDR 0.5 (f,x) · Bopenrouter/api · zdrZDR

ZDR 3.0 (x) · Bopenrouter/api · defaultAPI default

Structured breakdown

Default posture: OpenRouter itself does not store prompts unless you opt in. Default routing can land on providers that retain or train. If a provider policy is unclear, OpenRouter assumes retain-and-train.
Exceptions and carve-outs: plugins and tools are outside ZDR enforcement; anonymous prompt categorization is sampled

Approval and setup path

account privacy settings, guardrails, or per-request provider.zdr=true

Flags on this record

x: subprocessor exposure

Practical questions for your agreement

Does your signed agreement cover this exact service, model set, and feature path?
Which retention, logging, and human-review exceptions still apply after any ZDR election?
What configuration evidence (flags, project settings, store defaults) confirms the posture you expect?
Do your customer commitments match what the reviewed evidence supports?

Does your agreement cover this deployment?

We can review the relevant terms, feature choices, and customer commitments, then help your team identify what to clarify or negotiate.

Speak to a ZDR expert about OpenRouter

Sources

Trust and security

Trust Portal trust.openrouter.ai

Posture ledger

2026-08-24

seeded

ZDR 3.0 (x) · B

Seeded from published documentation.

Full key on the scale. Method notes on methodology. Notation is always ZDR 1.0 (s,f,r) · A.