Set up your AI
Toby needs an AI provider to understand your requests and write answers. Think of the provider as Toby's "brain": you create an account with the provider, and Toby uses it on your behalf. You only need one.
Quickest path: OpenRouter (recommended)
OpenRouter gives you access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others through one account. You sign in from your browser, so there's no key to copy and paste.
- On Home, find the setup checklist and click Connect next to Configure AI provider. You can also go to Settings → AI → OpenRouter → Guided setup.
- Keep OpenRouter · Recommended selected and click Connect OpenRouter.
- Your browser opens. Sign in or create an OpenRouter account, then approve access for Toby.
- Return to Toby. It sends a short test message, saves the connection securely, and picks a good everyday model for you.
When you see Ready, try asking: "Help me plan my day."
:::tip What does it cost? You pay the provider for what you use, usually a fraction of a cent per message for everyday models. Add a few dollars of credit to start. Toby shows your spend under Settings → AI → [provider] → Plan Usage, and tells you if your account runs out of credit. :::
Other options
| Provider | Choose it if you… |
|---|---|
| OpenRouter | Want the easiest setup and lots of model choices (recommended) |
| Vercel AI Gateway | Want one key that also unlocks Toby's web search and extra transcription options |
| OpenAI | Already have an OpenAI API account |
| Chutes | Prefer open-source models run in secure hardware |
| Ollama | Want everything to run on your own Mac, with no account (needs a powerful Mac) |
To use one of these, open Settings → AI, click the provider, and paste your key. Each provider's page explains where to get a key. Vercel AI Gateway also has a Guided setup.
Change the model (optional)
The AI model is part of a persona. To change it, open Settings → Personas, pick a persona (for example Toby), and open the Model tab:
Most people never need to change this. If you want to experiment, a common setup is a fast, inexpensive model for everyday questions and a larger model in a second persona for long writing.