Custom providers and models
Use a custom provider when you have a compatible endpoint or a model missing from the built-in catalog.
Provider definition
Section titled “Provider definition”A custom provider requires:
- a lowercase slug ID, 1–64 characters;
- display name and endpoint URL;
- a supported pi-ai API transport;
- optional headers and compatibility settings;
- provider authentication where required.
The UI supports the transports Nerve deliberately registers with pi-ai. “OpenAI-compatible” is not a guarantee that every server variant implements streaming, tools, reasoning, images, or usage identically.
Model definition
Section titled “Model definition”A model belongs to a configured provider and can declare:
- model ID and display name;
- context and maximum-output limits;
- reasoning capability and supported thinking levels/mappings;
- text/image input modalities;
- input/output/cache cost metadata.
The runtime inherits connection fields from its custom provider or a built-in provider template. Test a new definition with read-only permission before granting mutation.
Removal
Section titled “Removal”Deleting a custom provider cascades its manually defined models and provider secret. Export or record configuration you need before deletion.