First Setup

After installing Silk and granting permissions, the settings panel opens automatically on first launch. Silk needs an AI engine before it can respond to anything, and there are three ways to give it one. Pick whichever suits you: you can switch at any time.

Step 1 — Choose how to power Silk

In Settings, under Power Silk with, you’ll see three options:

Option	Best if	What it costs
Claude	You already pay for Claude Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise	Nothing extra: it uses your Claude plan
ChatGPT	You already pay for ChatGPT (Plus or Pro recommended; Free and Go work too)	Nothing extra: it uses your ChatGPT plan
OpenRouter	You don’t have either subscription, or you want the fastest responses and a choice of hundreds of models	Pay per use, around a cent per task with the default model

None of them is required. Choose one, follow its steps below, then carry on to Step 2.

Tip

Not sure? If you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT, use that: there’s no extra account or bill. Otherwise, OpenRouter takes a few minutes to set up, and it’s the fastest of the three.

Use your Claude subscription

1. Under Power Silk with, click Claude.
2. If Claude Code isn’t installed yet, click Install Claude Code. Silk installs Anthropic’s free app for you in about a minute, with no admin password.
3. Click Sign in with Claude, sign in in your browser and approve.

Available from Silk 1.1.81. Full guide, models and fixes: Use Your Claude Subscription.

Use your ChatGPT subscription

1. Under Power Silk with, click ChatGPT.
2. Click Sign in with ChatGPT, sign in in your browser and approve.

Available from Silk 1.1.79. Full guide, plans and fixes: Use Your ChatGPT Subscription.

Use an OpenRouter key

Get an OpenRouter API key

OpenRouter is a single service that gives you access to hundreds of models from different providers (Anthropic, Google, Meta, Mistral, and many more) under one key and one bill.

1. Go to openrouter.ai and create an account.
2. Open the Credits section and add credits (the minimum top-up is around $10). OpenRouter is pay-as-you-go — you’re only charged for what Silk actually uses.
3. Navigate to Keys and click Create key. Give it a name (e.g. “Silk”).
4. Optionally set a credit limit (e.g. cap the key at $10/month) and an expiration date. Leave them blank for no limit.
5. Copy the key — it starts with sk-or-v1-….

Tip

Setting a monthly credit limit on the key is a good way to stay in control of spend — the key stops working once it hits the cap and resets each month.

Caution

Can’t tick the “agree” box on OpenRouter? That’s a problem on the OpenRouter website, not in Silk. Try a different browser (Chrome or Edge), or zoom out with Ctrl + - (⌘ + - on Mac) in case the checkbox sits off-screen.

What does OpenRouter cost?

Silk is bring your own AI engine: your purchase is the Silk software, and the AI “brain” runs on your own account. With OpenRouter, it bills you directly for what you use; Silk never charges you for AI usage.

• It’s usage-based, and small. With the default model, a typical task costs around a cent. A credit top-up lasts a long time for everyday use.
• The minimum top-up is OpenRouter’s, not a Silk fee, and it isn’t a subscription.
• Already pay for Claude or ChatGPT? You don’t need OpenRouter at all: use your Claude or ChatGPT plan instead. Gemini and Copilot subscriptions can’t power Silk.
• You’re always in control. A credit limit on the key (step 4 above) means you can never be charged more than you set.

Enter the key in Silk

1. Open the Silk panel (click the Silk icon in your menu bar or system tray).
2. Click the gear icon to open Settings.
3. Under Power Silk with, click OpenRouter.
4. Paste your key into the OpenRouter API Key field.
5. Click Save.

Silk stores the key locally on your device. It’s only ever sent to OpenRouter’s servers when making AI requests.

Tip

Can’t paste the key? Click the Paste button next to the API key field, or right-click inside the field and choose Paste. If neither appears, update Silk first: older versions didn’t have them.

If Silk says the key is invalid, it has usually picked up an invisible space. Copy the key again with OpenRouter’s copy button rather than selecting the text by hand, and paste it with no space before or after.

Caution

Never share your API key with anyone, including Silk support: we will never ask for it. If you’ve pasted it into an email or chat, delete that key in OpenRouter and create a new one.

Choose an OpenRouter model

In Settings, with OpenRouter selected, the Model ID field controls which model Silk uses. This is a free-text field — type any model ID from OpenRouter’s catalogue.

Default model: deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash, the fastest model with a perfect score in our October 2026 benchmark, at about a cent per task.

Recommended models

Model ID	Notes
deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash	Default and top pick. Passed every test task; fast and inexpensive.
openai/gpt-6-luna	The backup. Nearly as accurate and the cheapest per task. A good switch if DeepSeek is ever unavailable.
qwen/qwen3.7-plus	The previous default. Accurate, but slower and about twice the cost.
xiaomi/mimo-v2.6-pro	For unattended work. Very accurate but slow; best for scheduled and long background tasks.

The Model ID field suggests the first three as you type. For the full results, and the models we don’t recommend, see Choosing an AI Model.

Note

Model IDs follow the format provider/model-name. Copy the ID from the table above and paste it directly into the Model ID field in Silk’s settings.

Finding other compatible models

Not every model on OpenRouter works with Silk. To see only compatible ones, use this filtered link — it shows models that support both image input (so Silk can share your screen) and tool use (required for agents and Act Mode):

Browse compatible models on OpenRouter →

Changing the model

You can switch models any time in Settings — just type a new model ID and click Save. The change takes effect on the next push-to-talk query.

The setup video

Silk’s setup video waits at the API key step until Silk has an AI engine: it continues once a valid OpenRouter key is saved, or once you’ve signed in with Claude or ChatGPT. The narration only mentions OpenRouter, but any of the three moves it on. If the video doesn’t continue, none of them has finished yet.

Step 2 — Review the other settings

Below Power Silk with, a few more settings are worth a quick look:

• High-accuracy pointing — turn this on when you work in precise tools (Photoshop, design apps) so the cursor overlay lands exactly on the right element.
• Anonymous usage data — on by default. It’s fully anonymous (no screenshots, recordings, or prompts) and only used to improve Silk. Toggle it off any time to opt out.
• Audio / microphone — open the audio section and make sure the correct microphone is selected. Use the test button to confirm the input bars move when you speak. If Silk can’t hear you (or won’t speak back), this is the first thing to check.

Click Save and your settings are stored.

Step 3 — Try it

Silk’s push-to-talk is press-to-toggle, not hold:

1. Press Ctrl+Space once to start listening.
2. Speak your question.
3. Press Ctrl+Space again to stop — Silk then processes and responds within a few seconds.

If nothing happens, check:

• Settings shows Silk is powered by your choice. On OpenRouter, the key is saved (the field shows dots, not empty) and your account has credits. On Claude or ChatGPT, you’re signed in and haven’t reached your plan’s usage limit
• Microphone permission is granted (shield icon in the panel)
• The correct microphone is selected in the audio settings