Bringing your own key
TabOasis sells no AI credits and runs no model. Every AI feature is off until you paste in a key from a provider you have an account with, and every request then goes from your browser straight to that provider, billed to you.
Two providers are supported:
| Provider | Get a key from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | Google AI Studio | the default; its embeddings are free, which matters for AI search |
| OpenAI | OpenAI API keys | embeddings are paid — roughly $0.001 per 1,000 items |
Setting it up
Section titled “Setting it up”- Open the gear → AI Assistant. Until a key is saved it reads Not configured.
- Pick your provider from the dropdown — Google Gemini or OpenAI.
- Paste the key into API Key and press the save button beside it. The eye icon shows and hides what you typed.
- Choose a Model. Once the key is saved, TabOasis asks the provider which models your account can use and lists them; Refresh re-fetches. Only chat-capable models are offered.
A green line then reads AI configured with encrypted key storage — read Where the key lives for what that phrase does and does not mean.
You can keep a key for both providers. The panel has a tab each, and the Use this provider button switches which one your actions run against without deleting the other.
To take a key out again, use the remove button on the field. Switching provider does not remove anything.
What it costs you
Section titled “What it costs you”Every AI action is a request to your provider, on your account, at their prices. TabOasis does not add a markup and does not see the bill. Practically:
- Editor actions are one request each, over the selected text or the whole note.
- AI Generate and Suggest Column are one small request each.
- AI search needs an index — one embedding per item, once — and then either zero or one model call per query depending on whether reranking is on.
Advanced Settings in the same panel caps the response length per feature: Description, Column Suggest, Smart Search, Editor AI and Similar Bookmarks. Each is a token limit; 0 means unlimited, which is what they all ship as and what the panel recommends. Set one low and the model gets cut off mid-sentence, so this is a cost lever, not a quality one.
What Pro changes
Section titled “What Pro changes”The key is yours either way — a Free plan can configure AI and use it. What Pro unlocks is which actions you may run:
- Free: the editor’s Fix Grammar & Spelling.
- Pro: every other editor action, Custom Prompt, and AI search.
Locked entries show a padlock and open the upgrade dialog rather than failing silently. See Free vs Pro.
If nothing happens
Section titled “If nothing happens”- The AI button in the note editor is greyed out, or its menu says Configure AI in settings first — there is no saved key for the selected provider.
- You get “Please configure AI settings first” — same cause, from a different entry point.
- The model list is empty — the key was rejected by the provider. Check it where you generated it; a key that has been revoked or has no billing attached lists nothing.
- A key you saved weeks ago now reads Not configured — this is expected after a browser update, and is explained in Where the key lives. Paste it again.