---
title: Models & Providers
description: Configure AI models — run locally, bring your own key, or pick from 130+ providers via models.dev.
---

import { Callout } from "fumadocs-ui/components/callout";

OpenBrowse is **model-agnostic**. Run entirely on-device with no API key, plug in your own key for a frontier model, or pick from 130+ providers and 4,000+ models via the bundled [models.dev](https://models.dev) catalog.

<Callout type="info" title="Browse all providers">
  Head to the [Providers directory](/providers) for the full live list of every
  provider OpenBrowse can talk to.
</Callout>

## Local — no API key

Run fully on-device. Page content and conversations never leave your machine.

| Provider | Setup |
| --- | --- |
| [Chrome Built-in AI](/docs/models-and-providers/chrome-ai) (Gemini Nano) | None — works out of the box on Chrome 128+ |
| [WebLLM](/docs/models-and-providers/web-llm) | Pick a model in the model picker; weights download to your browser cache |
| [Ollama](/docs/models-and-providers/ollama) | Run an Ollama server on your machine |

## Cloud — bring your own key

Curated setup guides for the most common providers:

| Provider | Setup |
| --- | --- |
| [OpenAI](/docs/models-and-providers/openai) | API key |
| [Anthropic](/docs/models-and-providers/anthropic) | API key |
| [Google Gemini](/docs/models-and-providers/google) | API key |
| [OpenAI-Compatible](/docs/models-and-providers/openai-compatible) | API key + base URL (Groq, Together, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, LM Studio, …) |

Beyond these curated guides, OpenBrowse can use **any provider in the [models.dev](https://models.dev) catalog** — currently 130+ vendors covering hundreds of OSS and proprietary models. The model picker auto-discovers them; for providers that don't ship with first-class SDK support, the OpenAI-Compatible adapter handles the long tail.

OpenBrowse ships with first-class adapters for **Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, Mistral, OpenRouter,** and the **OpenAI-Compatible** umbrella. Other providers in the catalog are routed through one of those adapters using the `npm` field models.dev publishes for each provider.

## How the catalog works

OpenBrowse mirrors the pattern Zed and OpenCode use: a **vendored snapshot** of `https://models.dev/api.json` ships with the extension so the model picker works offline and on first run, and a **background refresh** keeps the cache up to date.

Load order:

1. In-memory cache (per service-worker session)
2. `chrome.storage.local` cache (refreshed every ~60 minutes)
3. Bundled snapshot — `apps/extension/src/registry/models-dev/snapshot.json`
4. Live fetch from `https://models.dev/api.json`

The snapshot is regenerated via `pnpm refresh:models` (Zod-validated, sorted-key JSON for clean diffs). Day-to-day, you don't have to think about any of this — the picker stays current automatically.

## Configuration

To switch models or add an API key:

1. Open the side panel (`⌥I`) and click the model picker at the bottom — or go to **Settings → Models**.
2. Pick a provider (use the search bar to filter the 130+ available).
3. For cloud providers, paste your API key (and base URL if applicable).
4. Choose a default model from the list.

API keys are stored in your browser's extension storage and never sent to OpenBrowse servers.

## Picking the right model

Different tasks benefit from different models:

- **Quick tab tidying / summaries** — a fast local model (Gemini Nano via Chrome AI, or a small Llama via WebLLM) is plenty.
- **Routine browsing automation** — mid-tier cloud models (GPT-4-class, Claude Sonnet, Gemini Flash) hit the sweet spot for tool-calling reliability.
- **Complex multi-step tasks** — frontier reasoning models when you need the agent to plan across many tools and pages.

Because OpenBrowse uses the [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](/docs/connectors) and relies on tool-calling, models that score well on tool-use benchmarks (Anthropic's Claude family, OpenAI's GPT family, Google's Gemini family) are the most reliable. Smaller models work well for narrow tasks but may struggle with long autonomous tool chains.
