# Set up the assistant

> Connect Sluice to Anthropic or to an OpenAI-compatible model server, test it, and turn on automatic failure triage.

This guide shows you how to connect Sluice to a model provider. The provider powers three features: the assistant panel, flow authoring in the assistant, and failure triage. The MCP server at `/mcp` does not need a provider.

## Before you start

- You have the admin role. Only an admin can change the provider and the global secrets.
- You have an API key of the provider, and the ID of the model that you want to use.
- The server has `SLUICE_MASTER_KEYS`, so that it can store a builtin secret. A secret from another provider, for example Vault, also works.

## Connect the provider

<Steps>

1. Store the API key as a global secret.

   Open **Secrets** and click **Add secret**. Enter a key, for example `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. Keep the provider `builtin`, paste the API key into **Value**, and save. The page never shows the value again.

2. Open **Settings → AI provider**.

3. Fill in the fields of the provider:

   <Tabs>
   <TabItem label="Anthropic">

   | Field | Value |
   |---|---|
   | **Type** | Anthropic |
   | **Base URL** | Empty. Sluice uses `https://api.anthropic.com`. |
   | **Model** | The model ID from the model list of Anthropic. |
   | **API key secret key** | `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` |

   </TabItem>
   <TabItem label="OpenAI compatible">

   | Field | Value |
   |---|---|
   | **Type** | OpenAI compatible |
   | **Base URL** | Empty for OpenAI. Sluice uses `https://api.openai.com/v1`. For another server, the URL before `/chat/completions`, for example `http://localhost:11434/v1`. |
   | **Model** | The model name that the server expects. |
   | **API key secret key** | The key of the global secret, for example `OPENAI_API_KEY`. |

   A server without API keys still needs a global secret. Store any value in it.

   </TabItem>
   </Tabs>

4. Click **Save**. The **Status** row changes to a green badge.

5. Click **Test provider**. Sluice sends one short request. The page shows "The provider answered." or the error of the provider.

6. Click **Assistant** at the bottom right of any page, and ask a question about your flows.

</Steps>

## Follow the base URL rules

- An empty base URL uses the default URL of the type.
- A base URL must use `https://`.
- Plain `http://` works only for a loopback host: `localhost`, `127.0.0.1` or `::1`.
- A base URL cannot hold a user name or a password.

The Sluice server sends the requests, not the browser. A loopback host thus means the host of the server. When Sluice runs in a container, `localhost` is the container itself.

## Turn on automatic triage

Under **Failure triage**, select **Triage failed and timed out executions automatically**, then click **Save**. Sluice then queues a triage when an execution ends `FAILED` or `TIMED_OUT`. Without this option, an operator clicks **Triage** on the execution page.

Every instance takes queued triages. A triage has 3 minutes. See [Triage a failed execution](/how-to/triage-a-failed-execution/).

## Limit the size of the triage context

`SLUICE_AI_MAX_CONTEXT_CHARS` limits the characters of one triage request. The default is `120000`, and the minimum is `1000`. A smaller value costs less per triage and keeps fewer log lines. Set the same value on all instances.

## Know what happens on errors

| Case | Result |
|---|---|
| The provider answers 429 or 5xx, or the network fails | Sluice tries 3 times in total, 0.5 and 1 second apart. Then the feature shows the error. |
| The API key secret does not resolve | The operation answers `409 ai_key_unavailable`. **Test provider** shows the message. |
| No provider exists | The UI hides the assistant and the triage card. The AI operations answer `409 ai_disabled`. MCP still works. |

`GET /api/v1/ai/status` tells a client whether AI is on and whether triage is automatic.

## Remove the provider

On **Settings → AI provider**, click **Remove**, then confirm. The UI hides the AI features again. The global secret stays. Delete it on **Secrets** when you no longer need it.

<Aside type="note">
Sluice records `ai.provider.update` and `ai.provider.delete` in the audit log. The audit event holds the type, the model and the base URL, never the key.
</Aside>

## Related pages

- [The assistant and MCP](/concepts/the-assistant-and-mcp/)
- [Triage a failed execution](/how-to/triage-a-failed-execution/)
- [Connect an MCP client](/how-to/connect-an-mcp-client/)
- [Use secrets and variables](/how-to/use-secrets-and-variables/)