Novus AI uses an external AI provider to understand member questions and generate intelligent responses inside your Discord server.
Each server must have a valid AI provider configuration before AI-powered responses can work correctly.
This guide explains how to configure your provider, securely manage your API credentials, and troubleshoot common provider issues.
Open Your AI Configuration
Sign in to your Novus AI account and open My Discord Servers.
Select the Discord server you want to configure, then navigate to the AI Configuration section.
Your AI provider settings can be managed from this area.
Select an AI Provider
Choose one of the AI providers currently supported by Novus AI.
The available providers may change as Novus AI adds support for additional AI services.
After selecting a provider, additional configuration options may become available depending on what that provider requires.
Add Your API Key
Most AI providers require an API key.
The API key allows Novus AI to communicate with the provider and request AI-generated responses for your Discord server.
Copy the API key from your provider account and enter it into the appropriate field in Novus AI.
Make sure there are no additional spaces or missing characters when entering your key.
Protect Your API Key
Your API key provides access to your AI provider account and should always be treated as private information.
Never place your API key inside:
Discord messages
Knowledge Base content
AI instructions
Routing instructions
Public documentation
Screenshots shared publicly
Only enter API credentials in the designated Novus AI configuration fields.
If you believe your API key has been exposed, revoke the compromised key through your provider and generate a new one.
Select Your AI Model
After configuring your provider, select the AI model Novus AI should use if model selection is available.
The models available to you may depend on:
Your selected provider
Your provider account
API availability
Provider restrictions
Model availability
Usage or billing requirements
Different models may also provide different response quality, speed, context capacity, and API usage costs.
Save Your Configuration
After entering your provider credentials and selecting the appropriate settings, save your changes.
Novus AI will use the saved configuration when processing AI requests for that Discord server.
Always test your assistant after changing providers, API credentials, or AI models.
Provider Usage and Billing
Your Novus AI subscription and your external AI provider account are separate services.
Your AI provider may have its own:
Free API quota
Usage limits
Rate limits
Token limits
Billing requirements
Model restrictions
Regional restrictions
Any charges generated through your external AI provider are controlled by that provider and are separate from your Novus AI subscription.
Check your provider's account dashboard for current API usage, quotas, and billing information.
Invalid API Key
If Novus AI reports that your API key is invalid, check that:
The API key was copied correctly.
The key has not been revoked or deleted.
The key belongs to the selected AI provider.
The API service is enabled for your provider account.
The key has permission to access the selected model.
If necessary, generate a new API key and update your Novus AI configuration.
API Quota or Rate Limit Errors
A valid API key does not always guarantee that requests will succeed.
Your provider may temporarily reject requests when your account reaches a quota or rate limit.
If this happens:
Check your provider's API usage.
Review your remaining quota.
Check your provider's billing status.
Verify that the selected model is available.
Wait and try again if the provider has applied a temporary rate limit.
These restrictions are controlled by the AI provider.
Changing Your AI Provider
If Novus AI supports multiple providers, you may change the provider used by your server.
Before switching, make sure you have valid credentials for the new provider and select a compatible model.
After changing providers, test your assistant again because different AI models may interpret the same instructions differently.
One Configuration Per Server
AI provider settings are associated with the Discord server you are configuring.
If you manage multiple Discord servers, review the AI configuration for each server individually.
This allows different communities to use configurations appropriate for their own requirements.
Test Your Provider
After saving your provider configuration, send a test message through a Discord channel configured for Novus AI.
If the assistant successfully generates a response, your provider connection is working.
If the bot receives the message but cannot generate a response, review your API key, selected model, provider quota, and provider account status.
Next Step
Once your AI provider is connected and working, the next step is choosing the AI model that will process your community's requests.
Continue to Choosing an AI Model.