Models & Providers
Choose which AI models power your organization's assistants. Platform models are always available with no setup, and you can add external providers when you want them. Admin access required.
Go to WorkSpace → Models & Providers. The page header reads "Configure AI model providers for your organization. Platform models are always available."
Platform models
At the top of the page you'll always see the Platform Models card with a green Available pill.
Platform models are hosted by Arketic on isolated servers. They're always on, need no configuration, and your conversation data stays in-house. Every assistant can use them out of the box — you don't have to do anything here.
For sensitive or confidential work, prefer platform models. Your data does not leave your organization's infrastructure when you use them.
External providers
Below the platform card, you may see an External Providers section — but only if your platform administrator has enabled any. If none are enabled, you'll see the message "No external providers are enabled by the platform administrator." In that case there's nothing more to configure, and platform models remain fully available.
When external providers are enabled, each one appears as its own card. Depending on what your platform administrator has turned on, you might see providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini. These are examples — the exact list comes from your platform.
When you use an external provider, conversation data is sent to that provider's servers. This data leaves your organization's infrastructure. Each provider card shows this notice while you set it up.
Setting up a provider
Each provider card walks you through the same steps.
1. Enable the provider
Use the Enabled / Disabled toggle to turn the provider on. Once it's configured, a status dot shows its state:
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Active and working |
| Amber | Configured, pending verification |
| Red | Something went wrong — check your key or connection |
A trash icon removes the provider's configuration. You'll be asked to confirm: "Remove this provider configuration?"
2. Choose which API key to use
Each provider gives you two choices:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Use my own API key | Enter your own key for this provider. Paste it into the password field (use the eye icon to show or hide it) and click Save. A saved key is required for this option. An existing key appears masked. |
| Use platform-provided key | Uses a key supplied by your platform administrator, if one is available. If you're currently on your own key, a Switch to Platform Key button lets you move over. |
If you choose the platform key but your platform administrator hasn't provided one for that provider, the switch won't complete — you'll be told "No platform key available for this provider." Contact your platform administrator, or use your own key instead.
3. Test the connection
Once a provider is configured, a Test Connection button appears. Run it to confirm everything works:
- Success shows a green check and a message confirming the provider's models are now synced and available to your assistants.
- Failure shows a red message. Recheck your API key and try again.
Testing is what makes the provider's models available to your assistants, so run it after any change.
Document access
Once a provider is configured, a Document Access toggle appears. It is OFF by default, and it controls whether assistants using this provider may draw on your documents.
While it's off, the provider can be used for chat only. Knowledge base and document features are turned off for assistants using this provider.
To turn it on, you must first read and accept a warning. Turning document access on means document content — including knowledge base material and document features — will be sent to the provider's servers. This includes confidential enterprise documents. You'll need to tick the checkbox "I understand and accept that document data will be processed by {Provider}" before the toggle unlocks.
While it's on, document content is sent to the provider whenever it's used with an assistant that has knowledge base enabled.
Only turn on document access for an external provider if you're comfortable with your organization's documents leaving your infrastructure. If your documents are confidential, keep this off and rely on platform models for document work.
Tips
- Prefer platform models for sensitive data. They stay in-house and need no setup.
- Test after every change. A provider's models only become available to assistants once the connection test succeeds.
- Leave document access off unless you need it. It defaults to off for a reason — turning it on sends confidential documents to the external provider.
- Use your own key when you want control. Otherwise the platform-provided key (when available) is the simpler path.
Related pages
- AI Assistants — assistants can only use an external model once you've enabled and tested its provider here.
- Roles & Permissions — who can reach this page.