Ai-Interview-Assistant-Chrome-Extension/AI_PROVIDERS_GUIDE.md

AI Providers Guide

Scope

This guide covers chat/response providers used by the extension after transcription.

Note: Speech-to-text is configured separately in Assistant Setup (STT Provider, STT Model, language/task/VAD/beam settings).

Supported Chat Providers

OpenAI

• Default models in UI: gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4-turbo, gpt-3.5-turbo
• API key: https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys
• Good default: gpt-4o-mini (speed/cost balance)

Anthropic

• Default models in UI: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022, claude-3-5-haiku-20241022, claude-3-opus-20240229
• API key: https://console.anthropic.com/
• Good default: claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Google Gemini

• Default models in UI: gemini-1.5-pro, gemini-1.5-flash, gemini-pro
• API key: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
• Good default: gemini-1.5-flash

DeepSeek

• Default models in UI: deepseek-chat, deepseek-reasoner
• API key: https://platform.deepseek.com/
• Good default: deepseek-chat

Ollama (local)

• Default models in UI: llama3.2, llama3.1, mistral, codellama, phi3
• API key: not required
• Endpoint used by extension: http://localhost:11434

Model List Behavior

• For cloud providers, if an API key is saved, the extension attempts to fetch live model lists.
• If model fetch fails, the extension falls back to the built-in default model list above.
• For Ollama, the extension reads models from /api/tags.

Setup Steps

1. Open side panel -> Assistant Setup.
2. Choose AI Provider.
3. Save provider API key (not needed for Ollama).
4. Select model.
5. Start listening.

Recommended Defaults

• Fastest general: gpt-4o-mini / gemini-1.5-flash / claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
• Highest quality: gpt-4o / claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022 / gemini-1.5-pro
• Local-only privacy: ollama + local STT

Troubleshooting

• API key not set: save provider key in Assistant Setup.
• Failed to fetch models: key may be invalid, provider API unavailable, or network blocked. Default model list is used as fallback.
• Ollama connection failed: ensure ollama serve is running and model is pulled.
• Slow or expensive responses: switch to smaller/faster model and enable Speed mode.

Storage Note

• Provider API keys are stored in extension sync storage (chrome.storage.sync).
• Keep least-privilege keys where possible and rotate keys regularly.