Setting Up a Connection¶
This guide walks you through creating your first connection to an AI provider.
Creating a Connection¶
- Open the Connection Manager panel (plug icon)
- Click New Connection
- Fill in the fields:
Required Fields¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | A label for your reference (e.g., "Claude Sonnet 4.6," "GPT-5 Main") |
| Provider | Select your AI provider from the dropdown |
Optional Fields¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Model | The model to use — you can type it or select from the model list |
| API URL | Override the default endpoint (useful for proxies or self-hosted models) |
| API Key | Your provider's API key |
| Preset | A default preset to use with this connection |
| Default | Whether this is your primary connection |
- Click Save
Setting Your API Key¶
API keys are stored encrypted and never displayed after saving. To set or update a key:
- Open the connection in the Connection Manager
- Click Set API Key (or Update API Key if one already exists)
- Paste your key
- Save
The has_api_key indicator shows whether a key is stored without revealing the value.
Per-connection keys
Each connection has its own API key. There's no shared "provider key" — this lets you use different keys for different connections to the same provider (e.g., separate keys for personal and work use).
Testing Your Connection¶
After setting up a connection, verify it works:
- Click the Test button on the connection
- Lumiverse sends a simple request to your provider
- You'll see either a success message or an error describing what went wrong
Common issues:
- Invalid API key — Double-check the key
- Wrong API URL — Make sure the endpoint matches your provider
- Model not found — Verify the model name is correct for your provider
Listing Available Models¶
Click the Models button on a connection to fetch the list of models available with your API key. This queries your provider directly, so the list is always up to date.
Multiple Connections¶
You can create as many connections as you want. Common setups:
- Different providers — One OpenAI connection, one Anthropic connection
- Different models — A fast model for casual chat, a powerful model for important scenes
- Different keys — Separate billing or quota management
- Self-hosted — A connection to your local LLM alongside cloud connections
Switch between connections by setting a different one as default, or select a specific connection when starting a generation.
Sidecar Connection¶
Some features (expression detection, council tools, image gen scene analysis) use a separate sidecar connection — a lightweight model for background tasks. Configure the sidecar in Settings > Advanced or in the Sidecar Settings section.
The sidecar keeps background processing costs low by using a smaller, cheaper model for auxiliary tasks while your main connection handles the primary generation.
Deleting a Connection¶
Deleting a connection also removes its stored API key from the encrypted secrets. This cannot be undone.