Connecting an AI Provider
QuickContract is BYOK — bring your own AI key. Here's how to get started.
How BYOK works
QuickContract does not bundle its own AI service. Instead, you connect your own API key from the provider of your choice. Your key is stored locally on your Mac and API calls go directly from your machine to the provider — QuickContract never proxies or stores your requests on a server. This gives you full control over costs, model selection, and data privacy.
Recommended: OpenRouter
For most users, we recommend OpenRouter as your AI provider. OpenRouter acts as a unified gateway to dozens of models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Mistral, and others — all through a single API key and a single billing account.
- Pay-per-use pricing — no monthly subscription, you only pay for what you generate
- Wide model selection — switch between Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, Llama, and more without managing multiple keys
- Low barrier to start — a $5 credit top-up is typically enough for weeks of contract generation
Sign up at openrouter.ai, navigate to Keys in your dashboard, and create a new API key.
Other supported providers
| Provider | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Direct Claude access with lowest latency | Pay-per-use |
| OpenAI | GPT-4o and o1 models | Pay-per-use |
| Google Gemini | Gemini Pro and Flash models, generous free tier | Pay-per-use / free tier |
| Ollama | Fully offline, privacy-first, no API costs | Free (runs locally) |
For detailed setup instructions for each provider, see the AI Providers section of the docs.
Adding your key
Open Settings
Click the gear icon in the bottom-left of the sidebar, or press Cmd + , to open Settings.
Go to the AI Provider section
In the Settings panel, find the AI Provider section. This is where you configure which service QuickContract uses for all AI-powered features.
Select your provider
Choose your provider from the dropdown: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, or Ollama. The form fields will update to match the selected provider.
Paste your API key
Paste the API key you generated from your provider's dashboard. The key is stored securely in your local app database and is never transmitted to QuickContract's servers.
Choose a model
Select which AI model to use. For contract generation, we recommend models with strong reasoning capabilities: Claude Sonnet or Opus, GPT-4o, or Gemini Pro. QuickContract will show the available models for your selected provider.
Once saved, all AI features — contract generation, QuickEdit, AI agents, and the Legal Advisor — will use your configured provider and model.
Install Ollama on your Mac, pull a model like llama3 or mistral, and select Ollama as your provider in QuickContract. No API key needed, no data leaves your machine. See the Ollama guide for full instructions.