AI API Keys
Core features — search, annotations, citations, browser capture — work fully offline without any API key. A key is only needed for AI-powered features.
Features that require an API key
| Feature | Requires key |
|---|---|
| Hybrid semantic search (local embeddings) | ✗ |
| Hybrid semantic search (cloud embeddings) | ✓ |
| Selection rewriting / proofreading | ✓ |
| Feed AI digests | ✓ |
| Auto-rename sessions | ✓ |
| Agent tools (MCP) | ✗ (uses agent's own key) |
Supported providers
Open Settings → AI API to configure:
- OpenAI — GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini
- Anthropic — Claude Sonnet, Claude Haiku
- Google Gemini — Gemini 1.5 Pro, Flash
- DeepSeek — DeepSeek V3, V3 Flash
- OpenAI-compatible — Any endpoint (Ollama, LM Studio, custom)
Multiple accounts per provider are supported. Keys are stored in the macOS Keychain — never in plaintext.
Add a key
- Open Settings → AI API.
- Click + next to the provider.
- Paste your API key. Scholardo verifies it immediately.
- Set routing preferences under Task routing (optional).
Embedding providers
For semantic search, configure an embedding provider under Settings → AI API → Embedding providers:
- Jina — High-quality multilingual embeddings (recommended)
- OpenAI —
text-embedding-3-small/text-embedding-3-large - Ollama — Local embeddings, zero network calls
If no embedding provider is configured, Scholardo falls back to FTS5 full-text search only.
Privacy
Keys are read from the Keychain only when needed — Scholardo never caches them in memory beyond the active request. No key material is logged or telemetered.