> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gcaplabs.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Models & providers > **Models not visible in conversation?** Ensure the provider is enabled in Connections, the key is valid, and the model i # Models & providers Headmaster connects to model providers you already have API keys for. It does not host models itself. You add a provider, paste a key, and Headmaster can use any model that provider offers. Headmaster supports 28+ LLM platforms — official, cloud, Chinese, international, and custom. All configured from **Settings → Headmaster's Library → Connections → Add provider**. *** ## Provider catalog | Category | Platform | Auth method | Multi-key | Notes | | ----------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **Official** | Gemini | API key | Yes | Image gen, tool calling | | | Gemini (Vertex AI) | API key + Project ID | Yes | Enterprise Google Cloud | | | OpenAI | API key | Yes | Function calling, image gen | | | Anthropic | API key | Yes | Claude series | | **Cloud** | AWS Bedrock | Access key / Profile | No | AWS enterprise AI | | | New API | API key | Yes | Unified multi-model gateway | | **Chinese** | Dashscope (Qwen) | API key | Yes | Qwen series | | | Dashscope Coding Plan | API key | Yes | Coding plan tier | | | Zhipu | API key | Yes | Zhipu AI | | | Moonshot (China/Global) | API key | Yes | Two variants | | | Qianfan | API key | Yes | Baidu | | | Hunyuan | API key | Yes | Tencent | | | Lingyi | API key | Yes | Lingyi Wanwu | | | ModelScope | API key | Yes | Community platform | | | InfiniAI | API key | Yes | | | | Ctyun | API key | Yes | China Telecom Cloud | | | StepFun | API key | Yes | | | **International** | DeepSeek | API key | Yes | | | | MiniMax | API key | Yes | | | | Novita | API key | Yes | AI gateway | | | OpenRouter | API key | Yes | Multi-model aggregation (300+ models) | | | PPIO | API key | Yes | Inference gateway | | | SiliconFlow (CN/Global) | API key | Yes | Two variants | | | xAI | API key | Yes | Grok models | | | Ark | API key | Yes | Volcengine | | | Poe | API key | Yes | Poe platform | | **Custom** | Custom | API key | Yes | OpenAI-compatible (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, llama.cpp) | *** ## Adding a provider 1. Open **Settings → Headmaster's Library → Connections → Add provider**. 2. Pick the provider type from the dropdown. 3. Enter your API key. You can paste multiple keys (comma-separated or one per line) — Headmaster rotates across them automatically. 4. If the provider has a custom base URL (for OpenAI-compatible endpoints or self-hosted models), enter it. 5. Click **Test connection** to verify. If it passes, click **Save**. The provider appears in the Connections list and its models become available in the model selector. *** ## Platform-specific setup ### Gemini 1. Get a key at [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/) — sign in, create a new API key. 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → Gemini** → paste key → save. 3. Model list is auto-fetched. You'll see Gemini Pro, Ultra, Flash, and image-capable variants. ### Gemini (Vertex AI) 1. Create a project at [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/), enable the Vertex AI API. 2. Note the **Project ID** (format: `my-project-123456`). 3. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → Gemini (Vertex AI)** → enter Project ID + API key → save. ### OpenAI 1. Get a key at [platform.openai.com](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys). 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → OpenAI** → paste key → save. 3. Models auto-fetched: GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5 Turbo, o-series, DALL-E (for image gen). ### Anthropic 1. Get a key at [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com/). 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → Anthropic** → paste key → save. 3. Models auto-fetched: Claude Sonnet, Opus, Haiku. ### AWS Bedrock Two auth methods: * **Access key:** Enter AWS Region, Access Key ID, Secret Access Key. * **Profile:** Enter AWS Region + locally configured AWS CLI Profile name. Supported regions: `us-east-1`, `us-west-2`, `eu-west-1`, `eu-central-1`, `ap-southeast-1`, `ap-northeast-1`, `ap-southeast-2`, `ca-central-1`. Multi-key rotation is **not** supported for AWS Bedrock (it uses AWS credential auth, not API keys). ### New API (unified gateway) Select **New API**, enter Base URL + API key. Supports multiple protocols: OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic. Optional `modelProtocols` override per model (e.g., Gemini models use `gemini` protocol, Claude uses `anthropic`). ### OpenRouter 1. Sign in at [openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai/), create a key at [openrouter.ai/keys](https://openrouter.ai/keys) — copy it immediately (shown only once). 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → OpenRouter** → paste key → save. 3. 300+ models from many providers appear in the selector under a single key. OpenRouter is the easiest way to get started if you want access to many models without managing multiple provider accounts. ### DeepSeek 1. Get a key at [platform.deepseek.com](https://platform.deepseek.com/). 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → DeepSeek** → paste key → save. ### Dashscope (Qwen) 1. Get a key at [dashscope.console.aliyun.com](https://dashscope.console.aliyun.com/). 2. **Settings → Connections → Add provider → Dashscope** → paste key → save. ### Custom (OpenAI-compatible) For local models or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint: * Enter Base URL + API key + model names. * Use any non-empty placeholder for local models without auth. Local model examples: ``` Ollama: http://localhost:11434/v1 LM Studio: http://localhost:1234/v1 vLLM: http://localhost:8000/v1 llama.cpp: http://localhost:8080/v1 ``` ### Preset platforms (quick config) For preset platforms, the Base URL is auto-filled — just paste your API key. Console links for getting keys: | Platform | Console URL | | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Dashscope | [dashscope.console.aliyun.com](https://dashscope.console.aliyun.com/) | | Zhipu | [open.bigmodel.cn](https://open.bigmodel.cn/) | | Moonshot | [platform.moonshot.cn](https://platform.moonshot.cn/) | | ModelScope | [modelscope.cn/my/myaccesstoken](https://modelscope.cn/my/myaccesstoken) | | OpenRouter | [openrouter.ai/keys](https://openrouter.ai/keys) | | DeepSeek | [platform.deepseek.com](https://platform.deepseek.com/) | | SiliconFlow | [siliconflow.cn](https://siliconflow.cn/) / [siliconflow.com](https://siliconflow.com/) | | xAI | [console.x.ai](https://console.x.ai/) | | MiniMax | [platform.minimaxi.com](https://platform.minimaxi.com/) | *** ## Multi-key rotation Headmaster supports multi-key rotation for each provider. Paste multiple API keys (comma-separated or one per line) in the provider configuration. ### Under the hood * **Automatic rotation** on errors (401, 429, 503) — the failed key is skipped and the next one is tried. * **Smart blacklist:** Failed keys are blocked for 90 seconds, then auto-recover. * **Load balancing:** Random starting key selection spreads load evenly. * **Per-key logging:** Key rotation events are logged so you can see which key was used for which request. ### Format Comma-separated: ``` sk-xxx1,sk-xxx2,sk-xxx3 ``` Or line breaks: ``` sk-xxx1 sk-xxx2 sk-xxx3 ``` ### Platform support * **Supported:** Gemini, Vertex AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Custom, New API, and all OpenAI-compatible platforms (ModelScope, OpenRouter, Dashscope, DeepSeek, MiniMax, SiliconFlow, Zhipu, Moonshot, xAI, Ark, Qianfan, Hunyuan, Lingyi, Poe, InfiniAI, Ctyun, StepFun, etc.) * **Not supported:** AWS Bedrock (uses AWS credential auth). *** ## Model defaults Open **Settings → My Headmaster → Model defaults** to set which model new chats start on. This does not change the model in existing conversations. Pick a model based on the kind of work: * **Fast and cheap** — for short questions, edits, and casual conversation. Examples: Claude Haiku, GPT-4o-mini, Gemini Flash. * **Large context** — for long documents, code review across a whole repo, or research with many sources. Examples: Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini Pro. * **Tool-heavy** — for workflows that call external services a lot. Look for models with strong function-calling support. * **Reasoning** — for complex multi-step problems. Examples: o1, o3, DeepSeek R1. *** ## Per-conversation model override You can pick a different model for a single chat by clicking the model name at the top of the conversation view. A dropdown shows every model from every connected provider. The choice sticks for that conversation only — new chats still use your default. Each agent (built-in, Claude Code, Codex, etc.) exposes its own model list. Switching the agent also switches the model list. *** ## Profile model fallback Each profile can specify a fallback model. If the primary model is unavailable (provider outage, rate limit across all keys), the runtime falls back to the secondary model automatically. Configure this in **Settings → My Headmaster → Profile → Model fallback**. *** ## Local models To use a local model (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, llama.cpp): 1. Start your local model server. Make sure it's listening on a known port. 2. In Headmaster: **Settings → Connections → Add provider → Custom OpenAI-compatible**. 3. Set the base URL to your local server's address (e.g., `http://localhost:11434/v1` for Ollama). 4. Leave the API key blank (or use a dummy key if the field is required). 5. Save. The local models appear in the selector. Local models are free and private — no data leaves your machine. They're slower and less capable than frontier cloud models, but good for offline work, privacy-sensitive data, or cost savings on routine tasks. *** ## Model discovery When you add a provider, Headmaster fetches the provider's model list automatically. The model selector shows: * Model name * Context window size (if known) * Whether the model supports tool use * Whether the model supports image input You can search models by typing a few letters in the selector. The list filters as you type. If the model list is empty or fails to load: invalid/expired key, wrong Base URL, network issues, or the platform is temporarily unavailable. Check the key, test the connection, and try again. *** ## FAQ **How to verify config success?** Models appear in the list, are selectable in conversation, and you receive normal replies. **Multi-key not working?** Check the format (comma or line break), verify the platform supports multi-key (AWS Bedrock doesn't), check console logs for rotation errors. **How to switch models?** Use the model selector at the bottom-left of the input box. Each agent exposes its own model list. Selection is remembered per conversation. **Models not visible in conversation?** Ensure the provider is enabled in Connections, the key is valid, and the model is not filtered out by the specialist's allowed list.