Skip to main content

​
Prerequisites

Before installing AI Providers, make sure you have:
  • Obsidian 0.15.0 or later (desktop or mobile)
  • An active internet connection (for cloud providers)
  • Optional: Local AI runtime like Ollama or LM Studio for offline use
AI Providers works on both desktop and mobile versions of Obsidian.

​
Installation Methods

2
The easiest way to install AI Providers is directly from Obsidian:
3
  • Open Obsidian Settings (click the gear icon or press Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
  • Navigate to Community plugins in the left sidebar
  • If you haven’t already, click Turn on community plugins and confirm
  • Click Browse to open the community plugins browser
  • Search for “AI Providers” in the search bar
  • Click on the AI Providers plugin by Pavel Frankov
  • Click Install and wait for the download to complete
  • Once installed, click Enable to activate the plugin
    • 4
    You can also install AI Providers directly from the web: obsidian.md/plugins?id=ai-providers
    5
    Alternative: Install via BRAT
    6
    If you prefer to install using BRAT (Beta Reviewers Auto-update Tool):
    7
  • Install the BRAT plugin from the community plugins browser
  • Enable BRAT and open its settings
  • Click Add Beta plugin
  • Enter the repository: pfrankov/obsidian-ai-providers
  • Click Add Plugin
  • BRAT will install the latest version of AI Providers
  • Go back to Community plugins and Enable AI Providers
    • 8
    BRAT installs the latest development version, which may include experimental features or bugs. Use the community plugin store for stable releases.
    9
    Verify Installation
    10
    After installation, confirm AI Providers is working:
    11
  • Open Obsidian Settings
  • Look for AI Providers in the plugin settings list (left sidebar)
  • Click on AI Providers to open the settings page
  • You should see options to add and configure AI providers
    • 12
    If you see the AI Providers settings page, installation was successful!

    ​
    Post-Installation

    ​
    Configure Your First Provider

    Once installed, AI Providers won’t do anything until you configure at least one provider. You have several options:

    Local (Free)

    Ollama or LM Studio for completely offline AI without API keys or costs.

    Cloud (Paid)

    OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini for powerful models with API keys.
    Head to the Quick Start guide for step-by-step instructions.

    ​
    Settings Overview

    The AI Providers settings page includes:
    • Provider List: View all configured providers
    • Add Provider Button: Create a new provider configuration
    • Provider Cards: Each provider shows:
      • Name and type
      • Selected model
      • Edit and delete buttons
      • Test connection option

    ​
    Understanding Provider Types

    When you add a provider, you’ll choose from these types:
    • OpenAI: GPT-4, GPT-3.5, and embedding models
    • Anthropic: Claude 3 (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku)
    • Google Gemini: Gemini 1.5 Pro/Flash
    • OpenRouter: Access to 100+ models through one API
    • Groq: Ultra-fast inference for Llama, Mixtral
    • Mistral AI: Mistral Large, Medium, Small
    • Perplexity AI: Online LLMs with web search
    • DeepSeek: DeepSeek Coder and Chat models
    • xAI: Grok models from X.AI
    • Together AI: Hosted open-source models
    • Fireworks AI: Fast inference for open models
    • And more…
    • Ollama: Local inference with Llama, Gemma, Mistral, etc.
    • LM Studio: Desktop app with local model hosting
    • Open WebUI: Web interface for local LLMs
    • OpenAI Compatible API: Any server implementing OpenAI’s API format (llama.cpp, LocalAI, Text generation web UI, etc.)

    ​
    Troubleshooting

    ​
    Plugin Not Showing Up

    • Make sure you enabled the plugin after installation
    • Try restarting Obsidian
    • Check that you’re running Obsidian 0.15.0 or later

    ​
    Settings Page is Empty

    This is normal after first install. Click Add Provider to create your first provider configuration.

    ​
    Community Plugins Disabled

    If you can’t browse community plugins:
    1. Go to Settings → Community plugins
    2. Click Turn on community plugins
    3. Accept the security warning
    4. Obsidian will enable the community plugin store

    ​
    Mobile Installation Issues

    • Ensure you’re on a stable internet connection
    • Try closing and reopening Obsidian
    • Mobile plugin installation can be slower—wait 30-60 seconds
    If you’re using Obsidian Sync, settings are synced across devices. However, sensitive data like API keys may need to be re-entered on each device for security.

    ​
    Uninstalling

    If you need to remove AI Providers:
    1. Open Settings → Community plugins
    2. Find AI Providers in the installed plugins list
    3. Click the toggle to disable the plugin
    4. Click the trash icon to uninstall
    5. Confirm the uninstall action
    Uninstalling AI Providers will remove all provider configurations and cached embeddings. Plugins that depend on AI Providers will show fallback settings to help you reinstall.

    ​
    Next Steps

    Now that AI Providers is installed, let’s set up your first provider:

    Quick Start Guide

    Follow our step-by-step guide to configure Ollama or OpenAI and test your first AI request
    Or explore the full list of supported providers:

    Cloud Providers

    OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and more

    Local Providers

    Ollama, LM Studio, and self-hosted options

    Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

    Get started for freeTalk to us