Provider Setup
Connect Chalie to an LLM provider — Ollama, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible service.
Choosing a provider
Chalie needs an LLM (large language model) to think with. You pick the provider, and Chalie handles the rest. Your options fall into two categories:
- Local — run a model on your own hardware with Ollama. Free, private, no internet required. Best for privacy-focused setups or when you have a capable GPU.
- Cloud — connect to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible API. Better quality on most tasks, requires an API key and internet connection.
You can switch providers at any time without losing your data.
How to add a provider
Every provider is configured through the Brain panel:
- Open the Brain panel (the 🧠 icon in the sidebar)
- Switch to the Providers tab
- Click Add Provider
- Select your platform, fill in the details below, and save
Once saved, Chalie will use your new provider immediately.
Ollama (local)
Run models entirely on your machine. No API key, no cloud, no cost.
Prerequisites
Install Ollama from ollama.com and pull a model:
ollama pull gemma4:31bConfiguration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | Ollama |
| Host | http://localhost:11434 (default Ollama address) |
| Model | gemma4:31b (recommended) |
No API key is needed for local Ollama.
Remote Ollama
If Ollama runs on a different machine on your network, change the Host field to point to that machine’s address (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:11434). Make sure the Ollama server is configured to accept remote connections by setting OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 on the host machine.
Anthropic (Claude)
Connect to Claude models from Anthropic — strong at writing, analysis, and following complex instructions.
Get your API key
- Create an account at console.anthropic.com
- Go to API Keys in the dashboard
- Click Create Key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | Anthropic |
| API Key | Your Anthropic API key (starts with sk-ant-) |
| Model | claude-opus-4-6 (recommended) |
Available models
| Model | Speed | Quality | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
claude-haiku-4-5 |
Fastest | Good | Lowest |
claude-sonnet-4-6 |
Fast | Very good | Medium |
claude-opus-4-6 |
Moderate | Excellent | Higher |
claude-opus-4-7 |
Slower | Best | Highest |
OpenAI (GPT)
Connect to GPT models from OpenAI.
Get your API key
- Create an account at platform.openai.com
- Go to API Keys in the sidebar
- Click Create new secret key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI |
| API Key | Your OpenAI API key (starts with sk-) |
| Model | gpt-5.5 (recommended) |
Available models
| Model | Speed | Quality | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
gpt-5.4-nano |
Fastest | Good | Lowest |
gpt-5.4-mini |
Fast | Very good | Low |
gpt-5.4 |
Fast | Excellent | Medium |
gpt-5.5 |
Moderate | Best | Higher |
Google Gemini
Connect to Google’s Gemini models. Generous free tier available.
Get your API key
- Go to aistudio.google.com
- Click Get API key in the sidebar
- Create a key in a new or existing Google Cloud project and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | Gemini |
| API Key | Your Gemini API key |
| Model | gemini-3.5-flash (recommended) |
Available models
| Model | Speed | Quality | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
gemini-3.1-flash-lite |
Fastest | Good | Free tier available |
gemini-2.5-flash |
Fast | Very good | Free tier available |
gemini-3.5-flash |
Fast | Excellent | Free tier available |
gemini-2.5-pro |
Slower | Best reasoning | Paid |
Gemini’s free tier is generous and a great way to try Chalie at zero cost.
OpenRouter
Access hundreds of models from a single API key. OpenRouter sits between Chalie and providers like Meta (Llama), Mistral, Anthropic, OpenAI, and dozens more — you pick the model, OpenRouter handles the routing.
Get your API key
- Create an account at openrouter.ai
- Go to Keys in the dashboard
- Click Create Key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI Compatible |
| Host | https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 |
| API Key | Your OpenRouter API key |
| Model | deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro (recommended) |
Popular model IDs
| Model | Provider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro |
DeepSeek | Top-tier reasoning, 1M context, competitive pricing |
deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash |
DeepSeek | Fast and cheap, also available free |
meta-llama/llama-4-maverick |
Meta | 400B MoE, 1M context, open-weight |
google/gemini-3.5-flash |
Near-Pro quality at Flash cost | |
anthropic/claude-opus-4-6 |
Anthropic | Claude via OpenRouter |
openai/gpt-5.5 |
OpenAI | GPT-5.5 via OpenRouter |
Browse the full catalogue at openrouter.ai/models and copy the model ID directly into Chalie.
Why OpenRouter?
- One key, many models — try different models without managing separate accounts
- Fallback routing — if a model is down, OpenRouter can switch to an alternative
- Pay-as-you-go — fund one account instead of several
Mistral AI
Connect to Mistral’s models using their OpenAI-compatible API.
Get your API key
- Create an account at console.mistral.ai
- Go to API Keys
- Create a new key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI Compatible |
| Host | https://api.mistral.ai/v1 |
| API Key | Your Mistral API key |
| Model | mistral-medium-3-5 (recommended) |
Available models
| Model | Speed | Quality |
|---|---|---|
mistral-small-2603 |
Fastest | Good |
mistral-large-2512 |
Fast | Very good, open-weight |
mistral-medium-3-5 |
Moderate | Best — 128B dense, 256K context |
DeepSeek
DeepSeek offers high-quality reasoning models at competitive prices through an OpenAI-compatible API.
Get your API key
- Create an account at platform.deepseek.com
- Go to API Keys in the sidebar
- Create a new key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI Compatible |
| Host | https://api.deepseek.com/v1 |
| API Key | Your DeepSeek API key |
| Model | deepseek-v4-pro (recommended) |
Available models
| Model | Best for |
|---|---|
deepseek-v4-flash |
Fast and efficient, everyday use |
deepseek-v4-pro |
Top-tier reasoning, 1M context |
deepseek-r1-0528 |
Dedicated reasoning model |
Groq
Groq runs open-weight models on custom LPU hardware, delivering extremely fast inference. Free tier available. Groq is not a model creator — it hosts models from Meta (Llama), Mistral, and others at high speed.
Get your API key
- Create an account at console.groq.com
- Go to API Keys
- Create a new key and copy it
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI Compatible |
| Host | https://api.groq.com/openai/v1 |
| API Key | Your Groq API key |
| Model | llama-4-maverick (recommended) |
Groq’s model catalogue changes as new open-weight models are released. Check console.groq.com/docs/models for the current list.
Other OpenAI-compatible providers
Any service that exposes an OpenAI-compatible chat completions endpoint works with Chalie. This includes providers like Together AI, Fireworks AI, Perplexity, and self-hosted solutions like vLLM or LocalAI.
Configuration
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | OpenAI Compatible |
| Host | The provider’s base URL (e.g. https://api.together.xyz/v1) |
| API Key | Your API key for the provider |
| Model | The model ID as listed by the provider |
Examples
| Provider | Host | Example model |
|---|---|---|
| Together AI | https://api.together.xyz/v1 |
meta-llama/Llama-4-Maverick-17B-128E-Instruct-Turbo |
| Fireworks AI | https://api.fireworks.ai/inference/v1 |
accounts/fireworks/models/llama4-maverick-instruct-basic |
| Perplexity | https://api.perplexity.ai |
sonar-pro |
| vLLM (self-hosted) | http://your-server:8000/v1 |
Your loaded model name |
| LocalAI | http://localhost:8080/v1 |
Your loaded model name |
The key requirement is that the service implements the /chat/completions endpoint in OpenAI format. If it does, Chalie will work with it.
Switching providers
You can change your active provider at any time:
- Open the Brain panel
- Go to the Providers tab
- Click on a different provider to make it active
All your conversations, memories, and settings carry over — only the model powering Chalie’s responses changes.
Troubleshooting
- “API key invalid” — double-check you copied the full key including any prefix (e.g.
sk-ant-for Anthropic) - “Connection refused” — for Ollama, make sure the server is running (
ollama serve); for cloud providers, check your internet connection - “Model not found” — verify the model ID matches exactly what the provider lists (model names are case-sensitive)
- Slow responses — local models depend on your hardware; try a smaller model or switch to a cloud provider for faster results
- “Rate limit exceeded” — you’ve hit the provider’s usage cap; wait a moment and try again, or upgrade your plan