# Connect LM Studio, or any other OpenAI-compatible server

Anything that speaks the OpenAI API on a URL you control connects through the "OpenAI-compatible" provider, and needs a base URL rather than a key.

*https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/connect-local-openai-compatible — last checked 2026-09-06*

## Steps

1. Start your server and note the address it prints. LM Studio’s local server defaults to http://localhost:1234/v1; llama.cpp and vLLM print theirs on launch.
2. Load a model in that server first. An OpenAI-compatible endpoint with no model loaded answers requests with an error, which reads in NeuralVault like a connection problem rather than an empty server.
3. In NeuralVault, go to Settings, then AI & extensions, then API keys, and find the OpenAI-compatible provider.
4. Give it the base URL, including the version path if your server uses one. Most want the /v1 on the end; the address the server itself printed is the one to trust.

## How to tell it worked

The model picker lists the models your server reports. If the list is populated, NeuralVault reached it.

## If it does not work

**The model list is empty but the server is running.**

Nearly always a missing or extra /v1 on the base URL. Open <your base URL>/models in a browser: if that returns JSON, the URL is right.

**It works in a browser but not from NeuralVault.**

Some servers bind to 127.0.0.1 only and some to all interfaces. Use exactly the host the server printed, not a substitute you assume is equivalent.

## Still stuck

Bug reports belong in the app, in Settings, About. Those carry no contact details, so they
get fixed rather than answered. To get a reply, email us instead: that route targets two
business days. https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/contact