- You'll need ADMIN access - You'll need API keys from the AI providers you want to use (most have a developer portal) - Recommended starting set: Gemini (primary), Claude (advisory) — you can add more later

- Go to Settings → AI Brain - For each provider you want to connect, click the card → enter API key (or OAuth for Gemini) - We encrypt your keys with AES-256-GCM and never display them again after entry - Click Test Connection — we run a canonical question through to confirm it works - Mark one provider as PRIMARY (default Gemini) — used as the first responder - Set fallback ordering for if your primary provider fails - Configure preferred model per provider via the ⚙️ icon (e.g. gemini-1.5-pro for complex work, gemini-1.5-flash for fast/simple)

- We support 7 providers: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT-4o), Gemini, Perplexity, Mistral, Cohere, Grok - AI calls run in PARALLEL across all your connected providers — you get multiple perspectives - Recommended: Gemini primary (best for PDFs, OCR), GPT-4o fallback (good structured extraction), Perplexity for research questions, Claude for ethics/advisory - Rate ✓ or ✗ on AI answers — feeds the Knowledge Base self-learning loop - Daily 6am UTC: we automatically fetch latest IRS, AICPA, FASB, PCAOB updates via Perplexity

- "no_key" state in AI features: connect at least one provider here first - Test Connection fails: check the API key is correct, hasn't been rotated, and is for the right account - AI output looks weird: re-run on a different provider via the fan-out; rate ✗ to feed quality signal

- Prepare a tax return with AI assistance - Run a monthly close for an accounting client (uses AI Anomaly Detection) - Connect QuickBooks Online or Xero (gives AI access to GL data)