Connecting an AI provider and switching the assistant on

The assistant needs an AI model to write its answers. That model runs at an outside provider, and the provider charges for every question. This page explains who connects the provider, what your dealership has to switch on, and exactly what is sent.

Who does what #

You do not enter an API key yourself. The provider key belongs to the MotoDealerHQ platform. It is stored encrypted, can only be written (never shown again), and is never sent to a browser or to the AI model.

Supported providers #

• Anthropic (Claude models). The default model is claude-sonnet-5-5; the operator can choose another model.
• OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Any service that speaks the same API as OpenAI's chat completions, including a self-hosted model on a private network, if the operator allows that host.
• Demo provider. A scripted stand-in used for tests and demos. It never contacts anyone and is never billed. Its answers are simple summaries of one lookup, not real AI.

A paid model without a price entered by the operator does not run at all, because spending could not be limited. Calls go only to provider addresses on an allowlist, over HTTPS.

Switch the assistant on for your dealership #

Once your plan includes the assistant:

1. Open Settings › Settings & domains and select AI assistant at the top of the page (or select Settings on the Assistant page).
2. Under Assistant, tick Turn on the AI assistant for this dealership.
3. Under Features, tick Assistant questions (read-only tools). Tick Let the assistant draft price-change proposals for a person to approve too if you want proposals.
4. Enter a Monthly budget (USD), for example 25 or 25.50. It cannot be more than your plan allows; the page tells you the limit.
5. Set Keep conversations for (days), from 1 to 365. The default is 30.
6. Leave Customer details off unless you need customer names, emails and phone numbers in answers (see Budgets and permissions).
7. Select Save. The change is recorded in the audit log.

Reports & AI › Assistant now appears in the menu for everyone with permission to use it.

If your plan does not include the assistant, the settings page says so and the switch cannot be turned on.

What is sent to the provider #

The settings page shows this list too.

• The staff member's question, with secrets and card, bank and Social Security numbers removed, plus up to six earlier questions and answers from the same conversation.
• The results of the read-only lookups that person is allowed to run: counts, prices, dates, rooftop and staff names, stock numbers and the like. Costs and margins only for roles allowed to share financials with the assistant.
• Basic context: your dealership name, today's date and time zone, and the names of the lookups offered.

Never sent: card or bank details, Social Security numbers, credit applications, passwords, API keys, lead messages written by shoppers, vehicle descriptions, costs without permission, or any other dealership's data.

Tips #

• Start with a small budget, watch Usage for a few weeks, then adjust.
• Keep the retention period short unless you need to look back at old conversations. Usage totals are kept for billing either way; the conversations themselves are deleted.

Permissions #

Limitations #