logancyang_obsidian-copilot/docs/llm-providers.md

LLM Providers

Copilot includes 16 built-in AI providers, and you can add an unlimited number of additional models as long as they are OpenAI-compatible. You can use cloud-based services that require API keys, or run models locally on your own machine. This guide explains how to set up each provider.

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How to Set API Keys

1. Go to Settings → Copilot → Models (BYOK)
2. Add a provider
3. Enter the provider API key and select the models you want to configure
4. Click Save
5. Enable models for chat under Agents → Quick Chat models

You can configure multiple providers simultaneously and switch between them by changing the default model.

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Cloud Providers

OpenRouter (Default)

OpenRouter is a gateway that provides access to hundreds of models from many providers through a single API key.

• Get a key: https://openrouter.ai/keys
• Default model: OpenRouter Gemini 2.5 Flash
• Why use it: One key, many models. Good starting point.
• Setting key: openRouterAiApiKey

OpenAI

Direct access to GPT-4.1, GPT-5, and other OpenAI models.

• Get a key: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
• Models include: GPT-5.4, GPT-5 mini, GPT-5 nano, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, GPT-4.1 nano, o4-mini (reasoning)
• Setting key: openAIApiKey

Anthropic

Access to Claude models (Opus, Sonnet, etc.).

• Get a key: https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys
• Models include: claude-opus-4-6, claude-sonnet-4-5
• Setting key: anthropicApiKey

Google Gemini

Access to Google's Gemini family of models.

• Get a key: https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey
• Models include: gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-3.5-flash, gemini-3.1-pro-preview
• Setting key: googleApiKey

XAI / Grok

Access to Grok models from xAI.

• Get a key: https://console.x.ai
• Models include: grok-4-1-fast
• Setting key: xaiApiKey

Groq

Groq provides very fast inference for open-source models.

• Get a key: https://console.groq.com/keys
• Models include: llama3-8b-8192 (and others)
• Setting key: groqApiKey

Mistral

Access to Mistral AI's models.

• Get a key: https://console.mistral.ai/api-keys
• Models include: mistral-tiny-latest (and others)
• Setting key: mistralApiKey

DeepSeek

Access to DeepSeek's chat and reasoning models.

• Get a key: https://platform.deepseek.com/api-keys
• Models include: deepseek-chat, deepseek-reasoner
• Setting key: deepseekApiKey

Cohere

Access to Cohere's Command models.

• Get a key: https://dashboard.cohere.ai/api-keys
• Models include: command-r
• Setting key: cohereApiKey

SiliconFlow

A Chinese AI cloud platform with access to DeepSeek and Qwen models.

• Get a key: https://cloud.siliconflow.com/me/account/ak
• Models include: DeepSeek-V3, DeepSeek-R1 (via SiliconFlow)
• Setting key: siliconflowApiKey

Azure OpenAI

Access to OpenAI models deployed on Microsoft Azure. Requires four fields to be configured:

Setting	Description
API Key	Your Azure OpenAI key
Instance Name	Your Azure resource name
Deployment Name	Your model deployment name
API Version	e.g., 2024-02-01

• Note: Unlike other providers, Azure OpenAI uses your own Azure deployment
• Embedding: Can also use Azure for embeddings (separate deployment name required)

Amazon Bedrock

Access to models hosted on AWS Bedrock.

• Get credentials: https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/security_credentials
• Required fields: Access Key ID (API key), Region
• Setting key: amazonBedrockApiKey

Important: Always use cross-region inference profile IDs, not bare model IDs. For example:

• Use: us.anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929-v1:0
• Not: anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929-v1:0

Cross-region profiles (with the us., eu., apac., or global. prefix) are more reliable and available across regions.

GitHub Copilot

Use your existing GitHub Copilot subscription to access AI models.

• OAuth flow: Click Connect GitHub Copilot in the API key dialog
• No separate API key needed — authenticates via GitHub OAuth
• Requires: Active GitHub Copilot subscription

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Local Model Providers

Local providers run models on your own computer. No API key or internet connection needed once set up.

Ollama

Runs open-source models locally on your machine.

• Default port: 11434
• URL: http://localhost:11434/v1/
• Setup: Install Ollama (ollama.ai), pull a model, then add it in Copilot's Model settings
• No API key required

LM Studio

A desktop app for running local models with a GUI.

• Default port: 1234
• URL: http://localhost:1234/v1
• Setup: Install LM Studio, load a model, go to the Developer tab, enable CORS (required), click "Start Server", then add the model in Copilot
• No API key required

3rd Party (OpenAI-Format)

For any API that follows the OpenAI API format. Useful for custom deployments, proxies, or other local inference servers (vLLM, LiteLLM, etc.).

• Requires: Base URL and optionally an API key
• Use when: Your provider isn't in the list but speaks OpenAI-format

CORS Warning: Some third-party providers (e.g., Perplexity) don't support CORS, which causes Copilot to fail with a CORS error. When adding a custom model for such a provider, enable the CORS toggle in the custom model form. Note: streaming is not available in CORS mode.

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Provider-Specific Gotchas

Provider	Common Issue	Fix
Azure OpenAI	Missing one of four required fields	Check all four settings: key, instance name, deployment name, API version
Amazon Bedrock	Rate limit or model not found	Use cross-region inference profile IDs with us., eu., apac., or global. prefix
GitHub Copilot	Token expired	Re-authenticate via the OAuth button in API key dialog
Ollama	Connection refused	Make sure Ollama is running (ollama serve) and the port is correct
Google Gemini	Quota exceeded	Use a different model or check your quota at console.cloud.google.com
DeepSeek	Streaming errors	Try disabling streaming in the per-session settings if you encounter issues

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Related

• Models and Parameters — Enable, disable, and configure models
• Getting Started — First-time setup