How to connect the Copilot to an AI provider

What is it for?

An AI connection tells the Copilot which provider to use, with which model and which key. The company can have several connections and one is the Default.

When to use it?

• When connecting the Copilot for the first time.
• When changing provider or model.
• When setting a spending limit on a connection.

Where to find it?

Copilot › Connections to the AIs › Connections. In the same menu: AI settings, AI providers, AI prices and Agents and connections.

Before you start

• Your profile is the system administrator (or Fiscal administration). The Accountant only sees AI providers.
• You need an API key from the provider's account. In the example a fictitious key was used: the AI was never called.
• Done on 1 November 2026, in Empresa Demonstração, Lda.

How to use it

1. Open Copilot › Connections to the AIs › AI providers and look at the providers, the Country of the servers, the Suggested model and whether it Needs the customer's consent.
2. Open Copilot › Connections to the AIs › Connections and click New.
3. Type the connection's Name. In Provider, choose the provider. The selector has 7 options, with names such as “Customer's own API key (Anthropic)”; Subscription (not available) cannot be used. Model opens with the suggested model.
4. Paste the key into API key / access token. If you want, fill in the Monthly limit of this connection (EUR) and tick Default. Leave On ticked. The screen saves the connection even without a key, without warning: check that Key saved is ticked.
5. Save. The key now appears as dots, and Key saved is ticked. Remove the key deletes it.
6. For personal and sensitive data, do not tick anything: Allow personal and sensitive data on this connection? is off by default. Only the Allow personal and sensitive data… button turns it on, and that is a company decision. Data about health, trade union membership or strikes only goes as it is with this option on. Credentials, passwords and keys are never sent, with or without it.
7. In Copilot › Control › Switches, turn on AI connection (calls to the AI provider) and the agents you want to use. Without this, no AI agent works.

Expected result

The connection appears in the Connections list with Key saved. The Log has two lines: “AI connection “…” created.” and “AI key saved in the vault (…; the key itself is not recorded).”. The key also appears in the credentials vault.

AI settings shows the Default connection, the Monthly spend limit of the company (EUR), the Monthly limit per person (EUR) and the Spending this month.

Important notes

• There is a “Test the connection” button on this screen, added after this article was validated; its full description is left for a review. The first real call is that of an agent, after turning on the switch in step 7.
• Pending validation on screen: the call to the provider and the refusal message for an invalid key. The demo has no network and the key is fictitious.
• Spending is an estimate, calculated with the AI prices list (USD per million tokens).

Common problems

The Copilot still says the AI is switched off

• Cause: the master switch or the function's switch is off, or the connection is not On.
• What to do: in Copilot › Control › Switches, turn on the master switch and the function's switch.