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023f1c Ronak Vakharia 2026-07-06 08:09:16 1 
# Using the Enovate IT Local AI Server for Coding
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This guide walks you through connecting to our **self-hosted AI server** and wiring it into your favourite coding tools. The server runs locally on our network via **Open WebUI + Ollama**, so your prompts and code never leave our infrastructure.
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By the end you'll be able to:
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1. Sign up on the internal Open WebUI portal.
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2. Grab your personal API key.
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3. Use that key with **Aider** (terminal, Claude-Code style) or **Cline** (VS Code / Cursor extension).
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---
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## Prerequisites
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Before you start, make sure of the following:
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- **You are connected to the office VPN.** The AI server lives on the internal network and is *only* reachable through the VPN. If you're off-VPN, none of the URLs below will resolve.
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- You have a terminal (macOS / Linux / WSL) if you plan to use Aider, or **VS Code / Cursor** if you plan to use Cline.
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- **Python 3.8+** installed if you'll use Aider.
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> The portal is served over plain HTTP on the local domain, so your browser will show a **"Not Secure"** warning in the address bar. That's expected for an internal service — you can safely proceed.
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---
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## Step 1 — Sign Up on Open WebUI
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Open your browser and go to:
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```
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http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000
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```
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You'll land on the **Sign in to Open WebUI** screen. Since you don't have an account yet, click **"Sign up"** at the bottom (circled below).
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![Open WebUI sign-in screen with the Sign up link highlighted](./image-1783325179960.52.22_PM.png)
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On the sign-up form, enter your **name**, **work email**, and a **password**, then submit. Once registered, sign in with those same credentials.
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> **Note:** Depending on the server configuration, new accounts may need to be approved by an admin before they become active. If you sign in and see a "pending approval" message, ping the infra team to activate your account.
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---
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## Step 2 — Open Settings
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Once you're signed in, you'll see the main chat interface with the available local models (e.g. **Qwen3-Coder-Next**).
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Click your **name / avatar** at the bottom-left of the sidebar, then click **Settings** (circled below).
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![Open WebUI sidebar showing the Settings menu item highlighted](./image-1783325232493.53.43_PM.png)
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---
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## Step 3 — Get Your API Key
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In the Settings dialog, select **Account** from the left menu (circled). Scroll down to the **API Key** section at the bottom.
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Click the field to **reveal and copy** your key. It will look like `sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx`.
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![Settings > Account page with the Account tab and API Key field highlighted](./image-1783325304429.55.05_PM.png)
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> ⚠️ **Keep this key private.** It is tied to your account. Don't commit it to Git, paste it into shared docs, or share it in chat. Treat it like a password.
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If you ever don't see a key, there's usually a small **"+"** / **"Create new key"** control in that section — click it to generate one.
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---
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## Step 4 — This Server *is* Your OpenAI API Platform
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Here's the key idea: **Open WebUI exposes an OpenAI-compatible API.** That means any tool that can talk to OpenAI can talk to our local server instead — you just point it at our URL and use your key.
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Wherever a tool asks for OpenAI settings, use:
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```bash
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OPENAI_API_BASE="http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000/api"
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OPENAI_API_KEY="<your api key>"
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```
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- **Base URL:** `http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000/api`
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- **API Key:** the `sk-...` token you copied in Step 3.
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The rest of this guide shows how to plug that into the two most common coding setups.
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---
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## Option A — Aider (Terminal)
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**Best for:** people who like Claude-Code-style, terminal-driven pair programming directly on their repo.
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Project site: <https://aider.chat/>
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### 1. Install Aider
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Follow the install instructions at <https://aider.chat/docs/install.html>. The quickest way is usually:
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```bash
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python -m pip install aider-install
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aider-install
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```
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(or `pip install aider-chat` inside a virtualenv). Once done, `aider --version` should work.
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### 2. Point Aider at the local server and run
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Open a terminal, go into the repo you want to work on, export the two environment variables, and launch Aider against the local model:
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```bash
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# 1. Go to your repo
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cd repo
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# 2. Point Aider at the local AI server
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export OPENAI_API_BASE="http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000/api"
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export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-xxxx" # <-- your key from Step 3
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# 3. Launch Aider on the local model
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aider --model openai/qwen3-coder-next:latest
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```
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That's it — Aider will open a chat prompt in your terminal, aware of your repo's files. Describe the change you want and it will propose edits (and commits) directly.
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> **Tip:** The `openai/` prefix tells Aider to route through the OpenAI-compatible provider — don't drop it. The part after the slash (`qwen3-coder-next:latest`) is the exact model name as shown in Open WebUI's model dropdown. If a different model is available on the server, swap the name accordingly.
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---
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## Option B — Cline (VS Code / Cursor)
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**Best for:** people who prefer an in-IDE assistant with GUI-driven file editing, diffs, and task automation.
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### 1. Install the Cline extension
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In **VS Code** (or Cursor), open the Extensions panel, search for **Cline**, and install it.
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### 2. Configure Cline
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1. Open VS Code.
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2. Click the **Cline icon** in the left sidebar (looks like a robotic eye / target symbol).
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3. Click the **Gear icon (⚙️)** in the top-right of the Cline panel to open settings.
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4. Under the **API Provider** dropdown, select **OpenAI Compatible**.
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5. Fill out the fields exactly as follows:
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- **Base URL:** `http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000/api`
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- **API Key:** paste your `sk-...` token from Step 3.
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- **Model ID:** the exact model string, e.g. `openai/qwen3-coder-next:latest`
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Save the settings. Cline will now route all requests through our local server, and you can start giving it coding tasks from inside the editor.
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---
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## Quick Reference
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| Setting | Value |
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|---|---|
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| Portal (sign up / chat) | `http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000` |
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| API Base URL | `http://ai.enovate-it.local:12000/api` |
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| API Key | Your personal `sk-...` (Settings → Account → API Key) |
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| Example model ID | `openai/qwen3-coder-next:latest` |
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| Access requirement | **Must be on the office VPN** |
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---
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## Troubleshooting
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**The URL won't load / "server not found".**
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You're almost certainly off the VPN, or the internal DNS isn't resolving `ai.enovate-it.local`. Reconnect to the VPN and try again; if it still fails, contact the infra team.
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**Browser says "Not Secure".**
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Expected — the internal portal uses plain HTTP. Proceed normally.
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**Aider or Cline returns a 401 / auth error.**
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Your API key is wrong, expired, or has a stray space. Re-copy it from Settings → Account and make sure `OPENAI_API_KEY` matches exactly. Regenerate the key if needed.
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**"Model not found" error.**
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The model ID doesn't match what's on the server. Open the model dropdown in Open WebUI, copy the exact name, and use it after the `openai/` prefix (e.g. `openai/<exact-model-name>`).
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**My account can't sign in after signup.**
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New accounts may require admin approval. Ask the infra team to activate yours.
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---
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*Questions or something broken? Reach out to the infra / platform team.*