What is the difference between /provider, environment variables, and Ollama setup?

[miausintomas]

Hi! I’m new to OpenClaude and I’m a bit confused about the different setup methods.

In the README, I saw that OpenClaude can be configured using /provider, environment variables, or Ollama for local models.

What is the recommended method for beginners?

For example:

• When should I use /provider?
• When should I use environment variables like OPENAI_API_KEY and OPENAI_MODEL?
• When should I use Ollama?
• Do I need an API key for every setup?
• Which option is safer to avoid unexpected costs?

I think a simple explanation comparing these options would help new users understand the best way to start.

[iannxz]

Hi! Here is a simple way to understand it.

For beginners, the easiest option is usually:

openclaude
/provider

The /provider command is recommended because it guides you through the provider setup and saves the profile inside OpenClaude. This is usually easier than manually editing environment variables.

Environment variables are useful when you already know exactly which provider, API key, base URL, and model you want to use. For example, an OpenAI-compatible setup may use values like:

CLAUDE_CODE_USE_OPENAI=1
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key
OPENAI_MODEL=your-model-id

This is good for advanced users or for temporary terminal sessions, but beginners can make mistakes more easily, especially with invalid model IDs.

Ollama is different because it runs models locally on your own machine. If you use Ollama, you usually do not need a cloud API key, but you need to have Ollama installed and a model pulled locally.

Simple comparison:

Use /provider if you want the easiest guided setup.
Use environment variables if you want manual control.
Use Ollama if you want to run local models without depending on a cloud provider.
Use GitHub Models onboarding if you want to configure GitHub Models through OpenClaude.
Always check if the selected model is available for your provider.

About cost: local Ollama is usually safer for avoiding API charges, because it runs locally. For cloud providers, always check the provider dashboard, model pricing, and spending limits before using it.

So for a beginner, I would start with:

openclaude
/provider

Then choose a provider/model from the available list instead of copying random model IDs from old tutorials.