Connect your AI and services

What you can connect

Which feature uses which model

WorkPilot isn't one AI doing everything. A single request is split into stages, and each stage routes through a different service. Video, for example, has Claude compose the instruction while Higgsfield actually produces the footage. Once you see this, “why is only video failing?” becomes easy to diagnose.

These defaults are configurable per stage under Settings → Models (model defaults).

How subscription sign-in works

Claude, ChatGPT and Kimi all follow the same shape: Terminal opens, then you sign in through your browser. It's disorienting the first time, so here is the whole arc.

1. You press a button in the app — WorkPilot opens Terminal and types the official sign-in command for you.

2. Terminal opens — mostly you just read. If a list appears, use ↑↓ and Enter.

3. You sign in the browser — on the vendor's own page, with the account you pay for.

4. You return and press “Test connection” — without this, nothing is marked as connected.

Where keys are stored

API keys and passwords are encrypted into your Mac's secure store (the keychain). Saved items show 🔐 Saved in Keychain, and the key itself never appears on screen or in a file.

• Replace it — paste a new key into Enter a new key to replace it and press 🔐 Save
• Remove it — press Delete

Claude

The main engine for chat and creation. Video generation goes through Claude, so it's required if you want video. There are two ways in: Sign in with subscription (recommended) or Use an API key.

Signing in with your subscription (recommended)

1. Choose the method
   In Settings → Connections, on the Claude row, pick Sign in with subscription (recommended). The note reads Runs on the Claude sign-in on this Mac.

2. Press the button
   Connect (sign in via browser) — during first-time setup it reads Connect (sign in from Terminal). Terminal opens and /login is passed to the bundled Claude program.

3. Choose how to sign in
   Terminal shows a short list. Select your subscription account (Claude Pro / Max) and press Enter. The other option is an API-billing account (Anthropic Console), which charges per use.

4. Sign in through the browser
   Sign in with the account you pay for and approve access. If a verification code appears, copy it into Terminal and press Enter.

5. Return and test
   Back in WorkPilot press Test connection. The app really does send a one-line question and waits for an answer. If it comes back, you'll see Connected.

Connecting with an API key

1. On the Claude row choose Use an API key.

2. Paste a key created in the Anthropic console and press 🔐 Save.

3. Press Test connection.

ChatGPT

Signs in with your ChatGPT subscription — no API key needed. The in-app hint reads: Press “Sign in with ChatGPT” for browser auth, then come back and press “Test connection”. If you're already signed in, just test.

1. Press Sign in with ChatGPT. Terminal opens and runs the sign-in command.

2. Sign in through the browser with the ChatGPT account you pay for.

3. Close Terminal once it reports success.

4. Back in WorkPilot, press Test connection.

Kimi

Runs on a Kimi (Moonshot AI) subscription. If the tool isn't installed yet, one button handles both install and sign-in.

1. Press Connect to Kimi (install / sign in). Terminal opens.

2. If it isn't installed, the official installer runs automatically — anywhere from tens of seconds to a few minutes. Lots of text scrolls by; just wait.

3. Sign-in then begins, and a browser opens for your Kimi account.

4. Return to WorkPilot and press Test connection.

Gemini

Gemini is the one that skips Terminal entirely — you just paste an API key from Google AI Studio, and the free tier is enough to try it.

1. Create an API key in Google AI Studio.

2. Paste it into the Gemini field under Settings → Connections (or the Gemini API key box during setup).

3. It switches to Saved — ready to use.

4. Pick Gemini API (free tier) from the AI engine menu in a thread to use it there.

Choosing and switching engines

The engine used by new threads is set in Settings → Connections → Default engine for new threads. Inside a thread, switch from the AI engine menu at the top right; the choice is saved to that thread only.

Higgsfield (video and images)

No key to paste here — you sign in through a browser.

1. Press Connect (sign in via browser). Terminal opens, registers the video engine with Claude, and then the Higgsfield sign-in page opens (first time only).

2. Sign in with an account that has an active plan and approve access.

3. Back in WorkPilot, press Re-authenticate / test.

4. Success means your remaining credits and plan appear (for example 120 left).

OpenAI image generation

For generating images through OpenAI. Paste a key beginning with sk- into the OpenAI image generation (gpt-image-2) API key field and save.

ElevenLabs (narration and music)

For turning text into speech. Get a key from elevenlabs.io under Profile → API Keys.

1. Paste it into ElevenLabs (AI narration) API key and press 🔐 Save.

2. It becomes available from 🗣 Generate AI narration in the editor.

If the key lacks permissions, loading voices will fail — it needs Voices: Read. Usage is covered in The editor and exporting.

Connect (servers, MCP, APIs, email)

More → Connect in the sidebar gathers every outside connection in one place. Servers (SSH), MCP, external APIs and email sending are all registered and checked on the same screen.

The list shows each connection's state (reachable, unverified or failed) and where it is being used — the code projects and threads that rely on it. Because the impact is visible before you delete anything, you won't accidentally remove something still in use.

Adding a connection

1. Press + next to the heading. The right-hand column asks What do you want to connect? and offers five choices: server, MCP, API, mail or other.

2. Only the form for the type you picked appears. Fill in what it needs — for an API that means a service name, base URL, auth header name, API key and a path to test against.

3. Press Test to confirm it responds, then save. Once saved, enable it per thread from the thread's equipment.

The right half is a setup assistant. Say “I want to connect Notion” and it fills in the form on the left. Servers (SSH) can be imported from your Mac's ~/.ssh/config in one click.

Share your Obsidian vault

If you use Obsidian, WorkPilot can keep its files inside your vault. Your knowledge documents, notes and twin profile then open directly in Obsidian. Claude Code reads the same files, so you can run WorkPilot and Claude Code side by side.

Go to More → Connect → + → Other → Obsidian and pick your vault folder.

Where files end up

The vault root stays clean. Everything WorkPilot creates lives inside <vault>/WorkPilot/. Open the vault in Obsidian and you will find:

What happens to your existing data

When you connect, you choose whether to move your current data to the new place (moving is the default). What moves: your thread and agent records, plus the folders in the table above. It is a copy, so nothing disappears from the old location — you can always go back.

Disconnect puts the save folder back where it was. Files inside your vault are never deleted.

How this differs from the Obsidian MCP

Obsidian can also be connected over MCP (the Local REST API plugin). That route only works while the Obsidian desktop app is running — connections fail when it is closed — and it needs the plugin installed plus an API key.

If you only want your vault read, you do not need MCP. Sharing the vault works even when Obsidian is closed. Choosing Obsidian on the MCP screen shows this guidance along with a button to switch to vault sharing.

SMTP email

Used to email you the result of a loop. It appears as a card under More → Connect in the sidebar, while the fields themselves are filled in under Settings → Profiles → Email (SMTP).

Press Send test to confirm delivery. Subject, body and recipient are assembled by the app, so the AI is never handed a way to send mail itself.

Checking what's connected

When it won't connect

Still stuck? See Troubleshooting by symptom, or the Glossary for unfamiliar terms.