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Posted on • Originally published at apivai.com

How to Connect Open WebUI to APIVAI (OpenAI-Compatible)

#openwebui #tutorial #selfhosted

Connect Open WebUI to APIVAI

Open WebUI is a popular self-hosted ChatGPT-style interface. It talks to
any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, so you can run it on top of APIVAI's Claude and GPT models by
adding one connection — base URL plus key. No plugins, no code.

This guide shows the exact steps.

1. Run Open WebUI

If you don't have it yet, the quickest start is Docker:

docker run -d -p 3000:8080 \
  -v open-webui:/app/backend/data \
  --name open-webui \
  ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
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Open http://localhost:3000 and create the admin account.

2. Add APIVAI as an OpenAI connection

In Open WebUI:

  1. Click your avatar → Admin Panel → Settings → Connections.
  2. Under OpenAI API, click + to add a connection.
  3. Set:
    • API Base URL: https://api.apivai.com/v1
    • API Key: your APIVAI key
  4. Save, then refresh.

Open WebUI will pull the model list from APIVAI. Claude and GPT models now appear in the model
selector at the top of a new chat.

3. Pick a model that exists

If the dropdown is empty or a model errors, confirm the available names:

curl -s https://api.apivai.com/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIVAI_API_KEY"
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Use one of the returned names. You can also hide models you don't want from the admin model
settings.

4. Verify

Start a new chat, pick a Claude or GPT model, and send a message. You should see a streamed
response. If it streams token by token, the OpenAI-compatible connection is working end to end.

Troubleshooting

  • No models in the dropdown — re-check the Base URL ends with /v1 and the key is valid; refresh the page after saving.
  • model_not_found — call GET /v1/models and use an exact returned name.
  • No streaming — make sure you didn't disable streaming in the chat settings.
  • 401 — the key is missing/incorrect or has a leading/trailing space.

Why APIVAI for Open WebUI

  • One OpenAI-compatible connection gives Open WebUI access to both Claude and GPT models.
  • A fraction of official list price, pay-as-you-go — good for a team sharing one self-hosted UI.
  • Crypto / USDT / Alipay payment, no VPN, no subscription.

Next

For a private document Q&A setup, see how to build an enterprise knowledge base with Open WebUI +
APIVAI. Working API examples are in the
APIVAI examples repo.

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