Use Settings → Providers to connect the services your site uses for AI, search, email, storage, and other integrations. This guide covers adding a connection, checking that it works, and replacing a saved credential.
Provider settings affect the site, so use an administrator account with permission to change settings. If the page is read-only or a control is unavailable, ask your administrator to check your feature access.
Check how your services are managed
Open Settings → Providers and check the available tabs. Your site's setup determines which services and connection fields you see.
If Cedros Providers is on, Cedros manages supported service connections and you may see fewer tabs. Use the managed controls shown on your site. You do not need to enter your own keys for those managed connections.
If you manage your own providers, have the account details or API key for the service you want to connect ready. Choose the relevant category:
| Category | What you connect |
|---|---|
| Intelligence | AI providers used by the assistant and other AI features. |
| Search | A web-search provider. |
| Social | Accounts and services used by supported social integrations. |
| Storage | Storage for site media and files. |
| Email, when shown | Services used to send email. |
| Blockchain, when shown | A blockchain network connection. |
Before turning off Cedros Providers, prepare your own replacement connections. Features that depend on a managed service may stop working until their replacement is ready.
Connect a service
- Open the appropriate tab in Settings → Providers.
- Find the service you want to use. Turn it on if its card has an enable switch.
- Complete the connection fields or sign-in option shown on that card. Paste an API key only into the credential field for that service.
- Pause after editing and check the save status. Most provider settings save automatically. If the page says Not saving, complete the missing information or turn off the incomplete provider. Use Retry save if a save fails.
- When a connection test is available, run it and read the result. Then check the feature that will use the connection.
A Saved credential means Cedros has stored it; it does not prove the provider will accept a request. Tests can contact the provider and use billable service capacity. Run them when you are ready to make that request, and follow any recipient or sample-input instructions on the card.
Storage has a separate save step. Follow the storage instructions below before leaving that tab.
Confirm an AI or email connection
For an AI provider, Test connection checks whether a request can complete. A managed connection may instead show Test Managed Provider. Read the returned result, and check the page's save status before navigating away: a successful test is not a substitute for saving your settings.
Use Refresh models when you need to update the available model list. Connecting a provider or refreshing its models does not choose your assistant's default model. Continue with Choosing AI providers and models to select how the assistant uses the connection.
For email, connecting the delivery service is part of setup. Sender details and any required domain verification still need attention. Follow Setting up outgoing email delivery and confirm that a test message reaches the intended inbox.
Save and test storage
Storage settings use Save Connection rather than the provider page's usual autosave flow. Changing the default connection can affect new media uploads, so confirm the intended storage account and bucket before saving.
- Open Storage and find Default storage connection.
- Review the current connection. If editable fields are available, enter the storage details and credentials requested on the card.
- Select Save Connection and wait for confirmation. Resolve any validation or save error before continuing.
- Select Test Connection when available and read the result.
The storage test uses the saved connection. If you edit the fields again, save those changes before testing them. An Unsaved changes — choose Save Connection message means the edited values are not yet active.
Managed storage may show connection information without editable credentials. A disabled test can also mean you lack permission to test storage or have not saved an external connection yet; read the message beside the controls.
Replace or remove a saved key
Saved API keys appear masked. Cedros shows whether a key is saved without revealing its original value.
To replace a key, create the replacement in the provider account, then select Replace beside the saved credential and enter the new value. Wait for the save status and test the updated connection when you are ready. Revoke the old key in the provider account after you have confirmed that the replacement works.
If Cancel is available while you are entering a replacement, use it to discard that unsaved entry. It cannot undo a replacement that has already saved. Do not rely on reloading the page to preserve a key you have just typed.
To clear a credential, select Remove where offered and check that the change saves. On autosaving cards, removal can save immediately; plan for any features that depend on that connection before doing this. Removing a key from Cedros does not revoke it at the provider or cancel the provider account.
Resolve common connection problems
The page is read-only, or I cannot see a service. Check your permissions and whether Cedros Providers manages the connection. The available tabs depend on the site's setup; ask your administrator about a service you expected to find.
Settings stay unsaved. Look for an enabled provider with no API key or completed connection. Add the missing credential or turn that provider off. Resolve the save error and use Retry save if offered. For storage, select Save Connection.
A saved key fails the test. Confirm that the key belongs to the correct provider account and has access to the service you selected. Check the provider account for an expired or revoked key, usage limits, or billing issues. Read the returned error before replacing credentials repeatedly.
The test succeeds, but the feature still fails. Check that the feature is using the intended provider or model and that its own setup is complete. For email, check sender and domain settings. For storage, confirm that the most recent edits were saved before the test.
The page cannot load. Use Retry loading if shown. If the problem continues, share the provider name and exact error with your administrator or support. Keep API keys, passwords, and sign-in codes out of screenshots and messages.