AI providers

An AI provider is the model service that powers your AI reply suggestions. You configure one or more providers for your organization, choose a model and how it behaves, and pick one as the default. Channels then use either your default provider or one they pick themselves. This guide covers the four supported provider types, when to choose each, every configuration option, how the default works, and a checklist for getting your first AI reply working end to end.

You'll find providers at Settings → AI Providers (route /settings/ai-providers). Managing AI providers requires the OWNER or ADMIN role; agents and viewers can generally read them.

The four provider types#

When you add a provider, you choose its type:

• OpenAI — OpenAI's hosted models. A good general-purpose default for most teams.
• Anthropic — Anthropic's hosted models (Claude). Another strong general-purpose choice.
• Azure OpenAI — OpenAI models hosted through Microsoft Azure. Choose this if your organization standardizes on Azure or needs Azure's data residency and compliance posture. Requires a Base URL (your Azure endpoint).
• Ollama — runs models locally on infrastructure you control. Choose this when you need on-premises inference and no data egress — for example, when customer data must not leave your network. Ollama is local, so it requires a Base URL pointing at your Ollama server, and the model is free-text (you type the model name you've pulled locally).

Which one should you pick?

• Want the simplest path with strong quality? Start with OpenAI or Anthropic.
• Already invested in Azure, or need its compliance/region guarantees? Use Azure OpenAI.
• Must keep data on-premises with no third-party API calls? Use Ollama.

Configuration options#

When adding or editing a provider, you set:

• Type — one of OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, or Ollama (see above).
• Name — a label you choose to identify this provider in the list.
• Model — chosen from a preset list per provider, except Ollama, where the model is free-text (type the name of a model you've pulled locally).
• Temperature — a slider from 0 to 2. Lower values make the AI more focused and consistent; higher values make it more varied/creative. For support replies, lower is usually safer.
• Max tokens — the maximum length of the AI's response.
• Base URL — required for Ollama and Azure; optional for the others.

A note on API keys

For the cloud providers, API keys are platform-managed — in the normal setup you do not paste an OpenAI or Anthropic key yourself. Ollama is the exception: because it runs locally, it doesn't use a key but does need its Base URL so HelpStack can reach your server.

The default provider#

Exactly one provider per organization is the default. The default is used by any channel that doesn't pick its own provider.

• Toggle "Set as default" when adding or editing a provider, or use the Set Default action on a provider card.
• Because there's always exactly one default, setting a new default moves the star off the previous one.
• You cannot delete the default provider — set another provider as default first, then delete the old one.

Reading the provider cards#

Each provider in the list shows:

• Name
• Type badge (OpenAI / Anthropic / Azure OpenAI / Ollama)
• Default star (if it's the default)
• Model
• Temperature
• Max tokens
• Active / Inactive status
• Actions: Set Default, Edit, Delete (you can't delete the default)

Where the system prompt lives#

The system prompt — the AI's persona and instructions (its tone, what it should and shouldn't do) — is not set on the provider. It's configured per-channel, in the channel's AI & Knowledge tab. This lets you give different channels different personalities while sharing the same provider. See Channels.

Also note: the customer's email/identifier is automatically made available to the AI in its prompt, so it can help with account-specific questions without you wiring that in manually.

Getting your first AI reply working#

A working AI reply needs three things in place. Use this checklist:

1. Configure a provider. Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, or Ollama provider at Settings → AI Providers, pick a model and temperature, and set it as the default (or plan to assign it to a specific channel). For Ollama/Azure, set the Base URL.
2. Attach a knowledge base to the channel. So replies are grounded in your real content, attach knowledge-base groups to the channel under Settings → Channels → channel → AI & Knowledge. See Knowledge base and Channels.
3. Enable AI replies on the channel. Turn on AI replies for the channel (and set its system prompt in the same AI & Knowledge tab). See AI replies.

With those three done, send a test message on the channel and confirm the AI drafts a reply grounded in your knowledge base.

Related#

• Channels — assign a provider per channel and set the per-channel system prompt.
• AI replies — how AI reply suggestions work and how to enable them.
• Knowledge base — ground replies in your own content.
• Agent tools (overview) — give the AI custom abilities while it drafts.
• Getting started — initial organization and channel setup.
• Glossary — definitions of temperature, tokens, system prompt, and more.