# AI providers > Connect your own AI provider with your own key. Resurf's AI features stay off until you do. - Page: https://resurf.so/guides/ai-providers - Section: AI - Works on: Mac, iPhone, iPad - Last checked against the app: 2026-10-19 - Default: Off - Mac: Settings → Providers - iPhone and iPad: Settings → AI ## Connect a provider On Mac you can connect **OpenAI**, **Claude**, **Gemini**, **OpenRouter**, or **Ollama**, which runs models on your Mac. iPhone and iPad offer the same four hosted providers, without Ollama. Each provider has its own page with where the key comes from and what to check when the test fails: - [Use OpenAI](https://resurf.so/guides/use-openai) - [Use Claude](https://resurf.so/guides/use-claude) - [Use Gemini](https://resurf.so/guides/use-gemini) - [Use OpenRouter](https://resurf.so/guides/use-openrouter) - [Run Ollama on your Mac](https://resurf.so/guides/ollama) On Mac: 1. Choose **Settings…** (`⌘,`) and click **Providers** in the sidebar. 2. Click **Connect** beside a provider. 3. Paste your key into **API key** and click **Connect**. Resurf sends one test request to check it. Ollama needs no key; after connecting, pick one of its models in **Settings → AI → Model**. 4. The provider moves to the top and shows **Connected**. Your first provider also turns on **AI features** and **Suggest as you capture**. On iPhone and iPad: 1. In Resurf's Settings, turn on **AI**, or tap **Providers** if AI is already on. 2. Tap a provider, paste your key, and tap **Continue**. The **Create a key at …** link opens the provider's key page. 3. Resurf checks the key. This sends your key but no content. 4. Read what will be shared and tap **Allow**. This turns on AI and **Suggest as you capture**. ![Settings, Providers pane: OpenAI and Gemini connected; Claude, OpenRouter and Ollama to connect.](https://resurf.so/guides/shots/settings-providers@2x.webp) No content leaves an iPhone or iPad until you tap Allow on that device. ## On your other devices You don't set up AI from scratch on each device. Resurf syncs your AI settings through iCloud: the **AI features** and **Suggest as you capture** switches, the provider you use, your custom instructions and your voice settings. Your OpenAI key also syncs, through iCloud Keychain, so OpenAI can be ready on your other devices without pasting the key again. Claude, Gemini and OpenRouter keys stay on the device where you entered them, so connect those on each device. Ollama is on Mac only. On iPhone and iPad, tap **Allow** once on each device. Until you do, that device sends nothing to any provider. ## Change or remove a key On Mac: 1. In **Settings → Providers**, click **Manage** beside a connected provider. 2. To replace the key, paste a new one and click **Update key**. Click **Test** to check the connection. 3. If a model you want is missing, click **Add custom model…** and enter its id. 4. Click **Disconnect…** to remove the saved key. On iPhone and iPad: 1. In Resurf's Settings, tap **Providers**, then a connected provider. 2. Tap **Replace** to use a new key, or **Disconnect** to remove the saved key. Disconnecting your last provider turns AI off. Disconnecting OpenAI also removes the synced copy of its key, so your other devices lose it too. ## Turn AI off On Mac: 1. Choose **Settings…** (`⌘,`) and click **AI** in the sidebar. 2. Turn off **AI features**. **Suggest as you capture** turns off with it, and Cloud voice transcription goes back to **On-device**. 3. Turning AI features back on leaves suggestions off until you turn them on again. On iPhone and iPad: 1. In Resurf's Settings, turn off **AI**. **Suggest as you capture** turns off with it. The switch syncs through iCloud, so turning AI off on one device can turn it off on your others. ## Questions ### Is AI on by default? No. AI is off, and nothing AI-related runs, until you connect a provider. ### Why did AI turn on by itself? Connecting your first provider turns on AI features and Suggest as you capture. ### I skipped AI during first-run setup. Can I add it later? Yes. Connect a provider any time in Settings → Providers on Mac, or Settings → AI on iPhone and iPad. ## More guides - Next: [Use OpenAI](https://resurf.so/guides/use-openai.md) - [Use OpenAI](https://resurf.so/guides/use-openai.md): Get an OpenAI API key, connect it to Resurf, and know what to check when the connection test fails. - [Use Claude](https://resurf.so/guides/use-claude.md): Get an Anthropic API key, connect it to Resurf, and know what to check when the connection test fails. - [Use Gemini](https://resurf.so/guides/use-gemini.md): Get a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio, connect it to Resurf, and know what to check when the connection test fails. - [Use OpenRouter](https://resurf.so/guides/use-openrouter.md): Get an OpenRouter key that reaches many models, connect it to Resurf, and know what to check when the connection test fails. - [Run Ollama on your Mac](https://resurf.so/guides/ollama.md): Run models on your own Mac with Ollama, with no key and nothing sent to the cloud. - [AI suggestions](https://resurf.so/guides/ai-suggestions.md): When you save something, your AI provider writes a title, a summary and keywords for it, and suggests spaces. - [Model and instructions](https://resurf.so/guides/ai-model.md): Pick the model that writes your suggestions, give it your own instructions, and run it again over your library. - [Assistant](https://resurf.so/guides/ask-ai.md): Ask questions about your library in a chat pane on Mac, and get answers that cite the captures they used. - [Voice notes and AI](https://resurf.so/guides/voice-ai.md): Transcribe voice notes on your device or with OpenAI, and let your model title them, tidy the transcript and write notes. - [What AI sends](https://resurf.so/guides/ai-privacy.md): What each AI feature sends to your provider, and when nothing is sent at all. - [Every guide](https://resurf.so/llms.txt)