Configure AI providers

Overview

MetaLens360 uses AI for drift insights, the AI assistant, change narratives and more. It doesn't depend on one AI vendor. Instead, it uses a fallback chain: it tries your first provider and, if that one is rate limited or fails, moves to the next.

The default chain puts free-tier providers first — Cerebras, Cloudflare, SambaNova, NVIDIA, Google Gemini, Mistral, OpenRouter and Groq — and the paid providers, Anthropic Claude and OpenAI, last. Paid providers are used only when the free ones can't answer. You can change the order at any time.

Before you start

• Managing providers needs the Manage AI providers & chain permission (Admin and Architect by default). Without it, the tab shows "You have read-only access to AI providers."
• Get an API key from each provider's own console. Most free tiers only need a sign-up. Cloudflare also needs an account ID.

Steps

Use the guided setup

1. Open Settings → AI Providers.
2. Click Set up AI (shown when "No AI providers configured for this workspace.") or Guided setup. The Set up AI for this workspace wizard opens.
3. On Choose providers, pick one or more providers. Start with two or three free ones so you have a fallback.
4. On Add keys, paste each key.
5. On Set fallback order, use Move up and Move down to put your preferred provider first, then click Save configuration.
6. On Verify, click Run a test request to confirm a provider really answers. A saved key isn't the same as a working one.
7. Click Done.

Manage providers afterwards

1. In the Provider Intelligence Table, find the provider. The Tier column shows Free or Paid.
2. In Configure, paste a new key and click Save, or click Clear to remove it. Keys are stored encrypted and are write-only: MetaLens360 shows only whether a key is set, never its value.
3. Click Disable to take a provider out of the chain but keep its key. Enable brings it back with no new key needed.
4. Click Delete, then Confirm, to remove your stored key entirely.
5. To change the order, click Reorder Chain, arrange the providers, and click Save Order.

Your order vs routing right now

The page shows two lists side by side. Your order is the preference you saved; nothing rewrites it. Routing right now is what MetaLens360 will actually do at this moment. If a provider hits a rate limit, it is moved down temporarily and returns to your order when it recovers.

Platform administrators also see Save this order to: with Platform default, which applies to every workspace that hasn't set its own order.

Example

Priya's workspace has no AI yet. She runs the guided setup with Groq, Gemini and Cerebras, puts Groq first, and runs a test request. It answers, and drift insights start appearing on new comparisons.

FAQs

Where do I see AI usage and cost?

In Diagnostics → AI Usage & Intelligence. See Use the diagnostics console.

Do workspaces share keys?

No. Each workspace manages its own keys and order.

Who pays for AI calls?

By default the workspace keys are used. You can require each person to bring their own — see Choose who pays for AI generation.

Troubleshooting

"No provider answered. Check the keys and try again."

The test request failed on every provider. Re-paste the keys, check that each provider account is active, and add a second provider as backup.

A provider keeps moving down in "Routing right now"

It is being rate limited or failing. Free tiers have low limits; add more providers so others can take the load.

AI features say no provider is configured

See Fix AI provider not configured errors.

Related articles

• Choose who pays for AI generation
• Use the AI assistant
• Fix AI provider not configured errors
• Use AI drift insights