Cloud Provider Setup

the world's finest models, on tap

Cloud providers give you access to the most powerful AI models available — GPT, Claude, Gemini, and hundreds more — without needing beefy hardware. You'll need an account, an API key, and a few dollars of credit. In return, you get top-shelf intelligence streamed to your parlour on demand.

1

Pick a Provider

Any of these will get you chatting. Pick one to start — you can always add more later.

OpenRouter

Recommended for beginners

One key, 200+ models from every major provider. Pay-per-token, start with $5–10 of credit. The Swiss Army knife — if you're not sure which provider, start here.

Sign up → openrouter.ai

OpenAI

GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-5, and the best embeddings in the business. The household name.

Sign up → platform.openai.com

Anthropic

Claude models — superb at roleplay, creative writing, and following complex instructions.

Sign up → console.anthropic.com

Google Gemini

Gemini 2.5 Flash and Pro with multimodal support, web search, and Imagen 4 image generation.

Sign up → ai.google.dev

Grok (xAI)

Grok 3 and 4 family with multimodal support and native image generation.

Sign up → console.x.ai

2

Add Your API Key

  1. a.

    Open The Foundry → The Forge (click the Foundry icon in the sidebar footer).

  2. b.

    Expand the API Keys section and click Add API Key.

  3. c.

    Select your Provider, give the key a label, and paste the API key from your provider's dashboard.

  4. d.

    Save, then click Test Key to verify it works.

3

Create a Connection Profile

  1. a.

    Still in The Forge, find the Connection Profiles section and click Add Connection Profile.

  2. b.

    Select your Provider, choose the API key you just added, and pick a Model (use Fetch Models if the list is empty).

  3. c.

    Give it a name (e.g., "Claude Sonnet" or "GPT-4o"), Save, and Test Connection.

4

Set Up Embeddings (Recommended)

Embeddings power semantic memory search — finding memories by meaning rather than exact keywords. Quilltap ships with a built-in TF-IDF system that works out of the box with zero configuration. Check The Foundry → The Commonplace Book — if you see a "Built-in TF-IDF" profile marked as default, you're already covered.

For higher-quality semantic search, you can upgrade to an external provider:

  • • OpenAI embeddings — Add a profile in The Commonplace Book using your OpenAI key and the text-embedding-3-small model. High quality, very affordable.
  • • Other providers — Some OpenRouter and Google Gemini models support embeddings. Check the LLM Connections guide for details.

Skip this if: The built-in TF-IDF is already set as default. It's good enough for most users and costs nothing. You can always upgrade later.

5

Configure a Cheap LLM (Recommended)

Quilltap runs background tasks — extracting memories, titling chats, expanding image prompts, and more. These don't need your best model, and using a cheaper one saves real money.

  1. a.

    Create a second, cheaper connection profile in The Forge:

    • • OpenAI: gpt-4o-mini
    • • Anthropic: claude-3-5-haiku
    • • OpenRouter: sort by price for low-cost options
  2. b.

    Go to The Foundry → The Salon, enable Cheap LLM, and select your cheaper profile.

Skip this if: You don't mind using your main model for background tasks, or you want the simplest possible setup and plan to optimize later.

6

Create or Import a Character

Build a character from scratch using Quilltap's character editor, or import a SillyTavern-compatible JSON/PNG card file. Characters define personality, backstory, and conversation behavior — the soul your chosen model will inhabit.

7

Start Chatting

Pick a character, select your cloud connection profile, and you're in. The world's most capable models are now at your service — ready to play any role you've written for them.

Want the full tour? Provider comparisons, advanced settings, image generation, and more.

LLM Connections Deep Dive