Before you can run AI steps, the plugin needs a way to reach an AI model. You have two options, and you only need one: add your own provider key (Local, BYOK), or connect a free account and use keyless AI (Cloud). You can set up both and choose per workflow later.
Option 1: Add your own provider key (Local, BYOK)
This runs your workflows locally and for free. Your key is stored encrypted and never leaves your WordPress install.
- Open AI Workflows from the admin sidebar, then open Settings.
- Find the AI provider keys section.
- Enable a provider and paste its API key. You can add:
- OpenAI for GPT models.
- OpenRouter for hundreds of models through one key, including Anthropic’s Claude.
- Perplexity for the Research node’s Sonar models.
- Save your settings.
You pay your provider directly for usage. If you plan to use specific nodes, add their keys in the same section: Firecrawl for web scraping, LlamaParse for document parsing, Fal for media generation, and Unsplash for image search.
Option 2: Connect a free account (Cloud, keyless)
If you would rather not manage keys, connect a free account and let AI calls run through our hosted proxy, metered in credits.
- Open AI Workflows, then Settings (or use the Account panel in the builder).
- Choose to connect an account. Sign in by email or with Google.
- Once connected, workflows set to Cloud run on our engine using our keys, with no key needed on your side.
New accounts start with bonus credits so you can try Cloud right away. See Your account and credits.
Which one should you pick?
They are not mutually exclusive. Each workflow, and each AI node, can choose its source. As a rule of thumb:
- Use Local (BYOK) when you already have a provider key and want free, unlimited runs that stay on your server.
- Use Cloud (keyless) when you want no key management, no PHP timeouts, or server-side scheduling.
For the full comparison, read BYOK keys vs keyless credits and Local vs Cloud execution.
Optional: your workflow API key
Settings also lets you generate an AI Workflow Automation API key. You only need this to trigger workflows from outside WordPress, for example an external webhook. It is separate from your AI provider keys.