# How to connect an AI provider > Connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or OpenRouter key once — every Pro AI feature shares that one connection, with a usage counter you can watch. - Category: AI & agents - Canonical: https://xspeedcache.com/docs/ai-provider/ --- Several Pro features — [Adaptive Cache](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/adaptive-cache/), [Smart Image](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/smart-image/), and others — can use an AI model to explain their reasoning in plain English. This panel is where you connect that model **once**. Every AI feature then shares the same provider, model and key. > **Where to find it** > > 1. In your WordPress admin, click **xSpeed Cache** in the left menu. > 2. In the xSpeed Cache sidebar, open the **AI & agents** group. > 3. Click the **AI Provider** card. > > *Shortcut: open `wp-admin/admin.php?page=xspeed#/ai-agents/ai-provider` directly.* > > ⭐ This panel is part of **xSpeed Pro**. ![Provider, model and key](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/ai-provider-setup.BctD-Tzv.png) 1. **AI provider** — pick one of four. 2. **Model** — leave on Default, or choose one. 3. **API key** — paste it, then **Test**. --- ## Settings at a glance | Setting | Default | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | **Provider** | OpenAI | Which service every AI feature uses. | | **Model** | Default | Which model, or a custom model ID. | | **API key** | Empty | Your key with that provider. One field per provider. | --- ## How it works You bring your own AI account and key — **xSpeed doesn't resell AI or add a markup**. You pay your chosen provider directly for what you use, and xSpeed keeps usage down by caching AI responses so a repeated request doesn't bill again. Three steps: pick a provider, optionally pick a model, paste the key. **Nothing is sent anywhere until an AI feature runs.** If you never turn one on, connecting a key here does nothing by itself. --- ## Choosing a provider | Provider | Notes | | --- | --- | | **OpenAI** | Direct billing on platform.openai.com. | | **Anthropic** | Direct billing on console.anthropic.com. | | **Google Gemini** | Direct billing on Google AI Studio — **generous free tier**, so the cheapest way to start. | | **OpenRouter** | One key, 280+ models across OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Meta, xAI, Qwen and Mistral. | If you already have an account with one of the first three, use it. If you're starting from nothing, **Gemini's free tier** costs you nothing to try. If you want to experiment across many models with a single key, **OpenRouter**. ### Each provider keeps its own key ![The key field after switching provider](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/ai-provider-key-swap.DQrk3Xvd.png) 1. **API key** — the field, its placeholder and its link all follow the selected provider. Switching provider swaps the key field entirely — the placeholder changes from *"OpenAI API key"* to *"Anthropic API key"*, and the **Get a key at** link changes to that provider's own key page. Crucially, **the other keys aren't discarded.** There are four separate stored fields, one per provider, so you can switch back and forth while evaluating without re-entering anything. --- ## Model Leave **Model** on **Default** and xSpeed uses each provider's current recommended model — shown beneath as *"Active model: …"* so you always know what's actually being used. Advanced users can pick from the dropdown, or use **Custom model ID** to type one directly. That's useful when a provider ships a model newer than the plugin's list. --- ## The API key Paste the key and press **Test** to confirm xSpeed can reach the provider. Test is disabled until a key is entered, so nothing happens on an empty field. > 🔒 **The panel is blunt about where the key lives, and you should take it seriously.** It says: *"Stored in wp_options — treat your WordPress install as you would the key itself."* > > That's an accurate framing. Anyone with admin access to your WordPress, or any plugin running with those privileges, can read the key. Use a scoped or restricted key where your provider supports it, and rotate it at the provider if you ever suspect exposure. Never share a screenshot of this panel with the key visible. **What actually gets sent to the provider** is only what a feature needs, and only when you use that feature: aggregated, site-level figures such as traffic counters or media-library statistics. Never individual visitor data. [AI Privacy](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/ai-privacy/) is the switch that governs it, and revoking consent there stops these calls entirely. --- ## The usage counter ![Shared usage counters](https://xspeedcache.com/_astro/ai-provider-usage.MxMraUoi.png) 1. **Usage** — four counters shared by every AI feature, with **Reset**. | Counter | Meaning | | --- | --- | | **Requests** | Calls made to the provider. | | **Cache hits** | Calls answered from xSpeed's own cache. | | **Tokens in** | Volume sent. | | **Tokens out** | Volume received. | **Cache hits cost nothing** — the panel notes they "short-circuit before the API call", so they never reach the provider and never bill. A high ratio of cache hits to requests means xSpeed is doing its job of keeping your spend low. Treat these as a rough activity gauge. **Your provider's own dashboard is the source of truth for billing**; this counter exists so you can see whether a feature is calling out more than you expected. **Reset** zeroes it. --- ## Related - [How to control AI data collection](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/ai-privacy/) - [How to auto-tune your cache lifetime](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/adaptive-cache/) - [How to get AI image suggestions](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/smart-image/) - [How to connect an AI agent](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/mcp-server/) - [How to activate your licence](https://xspeedcache.com/docs/license/)