Brain Configuration

Your avatar's "brain" is the AI that powers its conversations. Three modes are available:

Mode	Description	Best For
Internal Brain	Avatarium-managed AI	Quick setup, zero maintenance
External Brain	Your own AI endpoint	Custom models, existing infrastructure
BYOK	Your API keys, Avatarium infrastructure	Using existing provider accounts

Internal Brain (Default)

Select a model in Dashboard → Avatar Settings → Brain → Internal Brain.

Available models (all plans):

Claude Haiku (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) – fast, cost-efficient

Premium models (Plus/Premium/Elite plans):

Claude Sonnet (claude-sonnet-4-6) – more capable, nuanced responses

The embed component automatically uses whatever brain is configured for the avatar:

import { AvatariumEmbed } from '@avatarium/react';
 
<AvatariumEmbed shortId="8yb8p7oj3sK" mode="voice" />

The internal brain uses Anthropic Claude. For other providers (OpenAI, Google, Groq), use BYOK or External Brain.

External Brain

Connect your avatar to an external AI service via Dashboard → Avatar Settings → Brain → External Brain.

Supported Providers

Provider	API Format
Anthropic	Messages API
OpenAI	Chat Completions
Google	Gemini API
Groq	OpenAI-compatible
OpenRouter	OpenAI-compatible
Custom	Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Setup

Enable External Brain

Avatar Settings → Brain → External Brain → Enable

Select Provider

Choose from the dropdown. For custom OpenAI-compatible APIs, select "Custom".

Enter API Key

Paste your API key – it is encrypted at rest and never stored in plain text.

Set Model (optional)

Override the default model (e.g. claude-sonnet-4-6, gpt-4o).

Test Connection

Click "Test" to verify before saving.

Configuration JSON

{
  "externalBrainEnabled": true,
  "externalBrainProvider": "anthropic",
  "externalBrainUrl": "https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages",
  "externalBrainToken": "sk-ant-xxxxx",
  "externalBrainModel": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

BYOK

Use Avatarium's infrastructure with your own provider API keys. Configure in Dashboard → Avatar Settings → Brain → BYOK Mode.

Supported providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq.

See the BYOK Guide for full setup and SDK usage.

Troubleshooting

External Brain connection failed – verify the URL is publicly accessible, the API key is valid, and the endpoint returns OpenAI-compatible responses.

High latency – for External Brain, endpoint geography matters. Deploy close to your users or use a CDN/edge function.

Inconsistent responses – tighten your system prompt, lower temperature in your AI config, or switch to a more capable model.

Need help? Join our Discord (opens in a new tab) or email support@avatarium.ai

Dashboard Guide Knowledge Base