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AI Provider Differences
DasBook supports multiple AI providers. They all work, but they don't all work the same way. Here's what to expect from each one.
Claude is the most capable provider for DasBook. It has a unique advantage: it can search your universe content on its own.
When you ask Claude a question like "how can I expand The Rat," it will:
- Automatically search your documents for "The Rat"
- Read the full chapter content
- Check your codex for relevant world rules
- Give you specific, grounded suggestions based on your actual story
You don't have to tell Claude to read anything — it does it automatically. It understands your characters, your plot, your world rules, and references them naturally in every response.
DasBook connects to Claude using something called MCP (Model Context Protocol) — a system that gives Claude actual tools to search your binder, read your documents, and query your codex. When you ask Claude about "The Rat," it doesn't just work with whatever snippet DasBook happened to include — it actively goes and finds the chapter, reads the whole thing, searches your codex for related rules, and pulls in any reference documents. It does this on its own, without you having to ask.
Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6 is specifically designed to use tools like this intelligently. It decides what to search for, what to read, and how much context it needs — all before forming its response. This is why Claude's answers feel like they come from someone who actually read your book, not someone guessing based on a summary.
No other provider currently supports this level of integration. OpenAI and Ollama receive a snapshot of relevant content, but they can't go looking for more on their own.
Best for: Everything. Brainstorming, editing suggestions, consistency checks, codex building, structural planning. Claude treats your universe as a living document it can explore.
Cost: Requires an Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com. Pay per use. Best quality-to-cost ratio for serious writing work.
OpenAI models work well in DasBook, but they need a little more guidance. DasBook sends your universe content to OpenAI with every message, but the model doesn't always use it unless you tell it to.
"Read the chapter The Rat and tell me how I can expand it."
"Based on what's written in The Setup, what are the strongest character moments?"
"Look at Sonny's dialogue in this chapter. Is it consistent with his Southern accent?"
"How can I expand The Rat?" — The model may give general writing advice instead of referencing your actual chapter.
"Give me ideas for this scene." — Without pointing it at specific content, it won't know which scene you mean.
The pattern: Tell the AI to read first, then respond. Phrases like "read the chapter," "based on what's written," or "look at the content" signal to the model that it should reference the story content it's been given.
Best for: Authors who already use OpenAI and want to keep their existing API key. Works well once you learn the prompting pattern.
Cost: Requires an OpenAI API key. Various model tiers available from nano (cheapest) to full (most capable).
Ollama runs on your own computer. Nothing leaves your machine. No API key, no internet, no cost.
The tradeoff: Local models (like llama3.1:8b) are significantly less capable than Claude or OpenAI. They work for simple questions and basic chat, but they may:
- Give less specific suggestions
- Occasionally misunderstand your story context
- Produce lower quality prose suggestions
Best for: Privacy-conscious authors, offline work, or situations where you don't want to pay for AI usage. Also useful for the consistency checker (codex violation scanning) which runs in the background.
Cost: Free. Requires installing Ollama and downloading a model.
| Claude | OpenAI | Ollama | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Searches your content automatically | Yes | No — tell it to "read" first | Partial |
| Quality of suggestions | Excellent | Very good (with right prompts) | Basic |
| Understands your characters | Deeply | When directed to | Sometimes |
| Cost | Per use (API key) | Per use (API key) | Free |
| Privacy | Cloud | Cloud | 100% local |
| Works offline | No | No | Yes |
| Best prompt style | Natural conversation | "Read X and tell me Y" | Simple questions |
You can switch providers at any time using the dropdown in the AI Chat header. Your content is the same regardless of which provider you use — only the AI's ability to work with it changes.
All providers receive DasBook's built-in Authorship Rule. No AI provider will generate creative content without your direction.