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LobeHub is an open-source, cross-platform AI chat client (formerly Lobe Chat) that supports multiple models, multimodal input, a plugin marketplace, and a local knowledge base. With APIYI, you can use a single API key in LobeHub to access 400+ mainstream AI models — no need to sign up and pay each provider separately.

Open-source & Self-hostable

Desktop, web, Docker, or Vercel — your data, your control

Plugins & Multimodal

Built-in web search, code interpreter, vision, and video generation plugins

Local Knowledge Base

Upload PDFs and Markdown to build a RAG pipeline over your private data

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Quick Start

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1. Get your APIYI API key

See the API Key Management Guide to get your API key.

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2. Install LobeHub

LobeHub offers three ways to use it:
  • Desktop: Official client for Windows, macOS, and Linux — download from lobechat.com
  • Web (official): Just visit lobechat.com, sign up, and use it without any self-hosting
  • Self-hosted: Deploy via Docker / Vercel / local source — great for enterprise or privacy needs
For personal use, we recommend the official web or desktop client. If you have data privacy or compliance requirements, self-host with Docker (just configure APIYI via environment variables).

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3. Create a custom provider

LobeHub — Create custom AI service provider Go to Settings → Model Providers, click the + icon at the top right to add a custom provider, and fill in the fields as shown above: Click the Create button at the bottom right to save.
Configuration tips
  • The Proxy URL MUST end with /v1, otherwise requests will fail to route
  • Trim any leading/trailing spaces from your API key when pasting
  • Choose OpenAI as the request format to access all 400+ APIYI models
  • One key works across all enabled models — pay only for what you use

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4. Verify connectivity

LobeHub — Configured provider view After creating the provider, you’ll land on its detail page. From here you can:
  1. Confirm or update the API Key and Proxy URL
  2. Enable advanced options (optional):
    • Use Responses API spec — enables OpenAI’s newer request format (OpenAI models only)
    • Use client-side request mode — browser sends requests directly, can improve response speed
  3. Connectivity check — pick a model from the dropdown and click Check
  4. Fetch model list — click the Fetch model list button to pull all available models from APIYI
After a successful fetch, the Model list shows everything APIYI currently offers, grouped by type: Chat, Image, Video, Embedding, ASR, TTS.
If the connectivity check fails, work through this checklist:
  • Does the proxy URL end with /v1?
  • Is the API key still valid? (verify in the APIYI console)
  • Can your network reach api.apiyi.com?
  • Is a firewall or proxy blocking HTTPS traffic?

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5. Pick a model and start chatting

In the chat UI’s model dropdown, select a model like deepseek-v4-pro, claude-sonnet-4-5, or gpt-5 and you’re ready to go.

See today's top model recommendations

Browse the latest model recommendations, performance comparisons, and scenario-based usage tips — covering writing, coding, fast response, image generation, video generation, and more.
Why no concrete model list here?AI models iterate extremely fast. To keep recommendations accurate, we maintain the latest model list, performance data, and usage tips in the Model Recommendation page.

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Access All 400+ Models With One Provider

LobeHub ships with built-in channels for many mainstream providers. Pick the channel that fits your use case:
One apiyi channel covers Claude, Gemini, and every other modelAPIYI wraps Claude, Gemini, GPT, DeepSeek, and other top models under the OpenAI-compatible protocol. So a single apiyi custom provider in LobeHub gives you access to all 400+ models in the dropdown — no need to set up separate channels per vendor.

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LobeHub Features Deep Dive

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Plugin marketplace

LobeHub ships with a rich plugin marketplace (Settings → Plugins). Recommended plugins:
  • Web Search — give models real-time internet access
  • Code Interpreter — run Python in-chat for data analysis and visualization
  • Chart Generation — auto-generate flowcharts and mind maps
  • Image Generation — generate images via models like gpt-image-1 and flux-kontext-pro

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Local knowledge base (RAG)

LobeHub can build a local vector store from your files:
  1. Go to the Knowledge Base page and create a new knowledge base
  2. Upload PDF, Markdown, Word, Excel, or TXT files
  3. The system chunks and embeds them automatically
  4. In chat, select the knowledge base and the model will answer grounded in your files
The embedding step calls an embedding model (which is billed). We recommend using APIYI’s text-embedding-3-large or similar embedding models.

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Multimodal chat

Upload images for vision understanding, recognition, and OCR:
  • Recommended vision models: gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-5, gemini-3-pro-image-preview
  • Just drag an image into the chat input and the model will recognize it

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Agent marketplace

LobeHub ships with a rich set of preset agents (translation, writing, coding, interview prep, etc.). You can also:
  • One-click enable any community-shared agent from the Agent marketplace
  • Build your own agent — custom persona, prompt, opening line, knowledge base, and plugins

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Conversation management

  • Branch conversations, edit messages, regenerate responses
  • Export conversations as Markdown, PNG, or JSON
  • Global search across message history

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Advanced configuration

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Custom request parameters

You can tune common parameters on the provider detail page:
Reasoning models (GPT-5, DeepSeek-R1, o1 series, etc.) only support Temperature = 1 and Top P = 1. Other values are ignored or cause errors server-side.

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Network proxy and self-hosting

For proxy use or self-hosted LobeHub:
  1. Desktop client: Settings → Network to configure HTTP/HTTPS proxy
  2. Self-hosted (Docker): inject APIYI config via environment variables:
  3. Client-side request mode: enables browser-direct requests (only if the browser can reach APIYI)

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Keyboard shortcuts

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Mobile

LobeHub’s desktop client runs on Windows / macOS / Linux. For mobile, use the responsive web app at lobechat.com — no separate install required.

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Troubleshooting

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Connection failure / connectivity check fails

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Model list is empty

  • Click Fetch model list to pull again
  • Wait 1-2 seconds, then refresh the page
  • Confirm the API key is active in the APIYI console

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Slow response or stream interruptions

  • Switch to a faster model (e.g., gpt-5-mini, claude-haiku-4-5, deepseek-v4-flash)
  • Disable unneeded plugins
  • Check network latency
  • Trim long context (close stale conversations)

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Knowledge base retrieval is inaccurate

  • Reduce chunk size for finer-grained retrieval
  • Switch to a stronger embedding model on APIYI
  • Add more relevant documents to boost recall

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Best Practices

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Model selection strategy

Use the right model for the right task — match by complexity:
  • Daily chat / simple Q&A: gpt-5-mini, claude-haiku-4-5, deepseek-v4-flash
  • Complex reasoning / long-doc analysis: gpt-5, claude-opus-4-5, deepseek-v4-pro
  • Coding: claude-sonnet-4-5, gpt-5, deepseek-v4-pro
  • Image understanding: gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-5, gemini-3-pro-image-preview
  • Image generation: gpt-image-1, flux-kontext-pro
For the full model list and performance comparisons, see the Model Recommendation page.

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Context management

  • Periodically prune stale conversations
  • Break complex tasks into shorter conversations
  • Use the branch conversation feature to explore alternative replies

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Security and privacy

  • Don’t share your API key in public
  • Rotate keys periodically (one-click reset in the APIYI console)
  • For sensitive conversations, self-host LobeHub — data stays local

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Self-hosting tips

  • Use Docker + PostgreSQL in production, not the built-in DB
  • Put Cloudflare in front as a reverse proxy
  • Manage secrets via environment variables for easy multi-instance deployment

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Comparison with other clients

When to choose LobeHub?
  • You need a local knowledge base or plugin ecosystem (web search, code interpreter, charts, etc.)
  • You want private deployment with full data control
  • You want one unified open-source UI across desktop + web
If you prioritize out-of-the-box experience and native mobile apps, pick ChatBox. For Claude / Gemini native protocols with Prompt Cache savings, pick Cherry Studio.
Need more help? Check the lobechat.com docs or visit the APIYI website.