Everything outside the AI features works without an API key.
Key and models
Under Settings → General → AI Settings, choose the provider — OpenAI or Anthropic — and paste your API key. It is stored encrypted. Test connection checks it.
ClusterIQ uses two models on the same key:
- Everyday model — link suggestions and ranking, SEO suggestions and reviews, link styles: many short calls. A fast, economical model such as gpt-4o-mini or Claude Haiku 4.5 is usually best.
- Analysis model — site, cluster and article analyses, Pillar & split check, Gap Analysis, briefs, cluster ideas and the Report summary: few, longer calls that read a lot and reason about structure. We recommend Claude Opus 5.5 here, or Claude Sonnet 5 for a lower cost — the difference shows most in these analyses. Leave it on Same as everyday model to use one model for everything.
Supported models: gpt-4o-mini and gpt-4o (OpenAI); Claude Haiku 4.5, Claude Sonnet 5 and Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic).
Tone of analyses
Editorial writes in plain language with editorial actions. Technical uses SEO terms and metrics for specialists and agencies. Changing the tone gives fresh analyses the next time you run them.
Cost and limits
You pay the provider directly — no credits, no caps from ClusterIQ. With an economical model most calls cost a fraction of a cent; a strong analysis model adds a couple of cents per big analysis. AI usage & limits shows calls, tokens and an estimated cost per feature and per model this month. Choose which roles may run AI, and set a monthly limit for editors.
Every button that makes a new AI call is marked with the AI sparkle, so you always know when one is made.
AI cache
Every result is saved and shown again for free until the data or settings behind it change — even if the key stops working. Settings → Advanced → AI cache shows what is saved per type and lets you clear it, for example after switching model.
What is sent to the AI provider
Only what the task needs: article titles, the start of the article text and its headings, the current SEO title and description, cluster names and their numbers. It goes from your server straight to the provider on your key; nothing is sent until someone clicks an AI button, and nothing the AI writes reaches your site without your Apply.