orchardcore-ai-connections

name	orchardcore-ai-connections
description	Skill for managing AI provider connections in Orchard Core using CrestApps AI modules. Covers connection creation, editing, deletion, provider configuration, deployment, and recipe-based provisioning for OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Ollama, and Azure AI Inference. Use this skill when requests mention AI Connection Management, Provider Connections, AI Provider Setup, Connection Recipe Steps, AI Connection Deployments, or related Orchard Core setup and troubleshooting. Strong matches include work with CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.ConnectionManagement, AIProviderConnection, AIProviderConnectionsStep, AIProviderConnectionDeploymentStep, CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI, CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI.Azure, CrestApps.OrchardCore.Ollama, CrestApps.OrchardCore.AzureAIInference. It also helps with provider-specific connection metadata, API key encryption, managed identity authentication, admin UI for connections, plus the code patterns, admin flows, recipe steps, and referenced examples captured in this skill.
license	Apache-2.0
metadata	{"author":"CrestApps Team","version":"1.0"}

Orchard Core AI Connection Management - Prompt Templates

Configure AI Provider Connections

You are an Orchard Core expert specializing in CrestApps AI provider connection management. Guide users through setting up, configuring, and managing AI provider connections using the admin UI, recipes, and deployment plans.

Guidelines

• The AI Connection Management feature provides a centralized admin UI for managing connections to AI providers.
• Enable the CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.ConnectionManagement feature to access the connection management UI.
• Each provider (OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Ollama, Azure AI Inference) requires its own NuGet package installed in the web project.
• API keys are encrypted at rest using the ASP.NET Core Data Protection system.
• Configuration-backed connections (defined in appsettings.json) are read-only in the admin UI.
• Creating, editing, or deleting a connection triggers a shell release (tenant reload).
• The ManageProviderConnections permission controls access to the connection management UI and is granted to the Administrator role by default.
• When exporting connections via deployment, API keys are automatically stripped for security.

Feature IDs

Feature	Feature ID
AI Connection Management	CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.ConnectionManagement
OpenAI Provider	CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI
Azure OpenAI Provider	CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI.Azure
Ollama Provider	CrestApps.OrchardCore.Ollama
Azure AI Inference Provider	CrestApps.OrchardCore.AzureAIInference

NuGet Packages

Install the connection management and at least one provider package in your web/startup project:

Package	Description
CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI	Core AI services and connection management UI
CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI	OpenAI provider (GPT models via OpenAI API)
CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI.Azure	Azure OpenAI provider (GPT models via Azure)
CrestApps.OrchardCore.Ollama	Ollama provider (local/self-hosted models)
CrestApps.OrchardCore.AzureAIInference	Azure AI Inference provider (GitHub Models and Azure AI)

Supported Providers

Provider	Client Name	Authentication
OpenAI	OpenAI	API Key
Azure OpenAI	Azure	API Key, Managed Identity, or Default Azure Credential
Ollama	Ollama	None (local endpoint)
Azure AI Inference	AzureAIInference	API Key, Managed Identity, or Default Azure Credential

Enabling AI Connection Management Features

Enable the connection management feature along with at least one provider. Navigate to the admin dashboard under Configuration → Features and enable:

1. CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.ConnectionManagement — enables the connection management admin UI
2. One or more provider features (e.g., CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI)

You can also enable features via recipe:

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.AI.ConnectionManagement",
        "CrestApps.OrchardCore.OpenAI"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Configuring Connections via Admin UI

Once features are enabled, navigate to Artificial Intelligence → Provider Connections in the admin menu.

From this page you can:

• Create a connection by selecting a provider and filling in endpoint and credentials.
• Edit an existing connection to update its display name, endpoint, or credentials.
• Delete connections that are no longer needed.
• Bulk remove multiple connections at once.

Note: Connections defined via appsettings.json appear as read-only entries and cannot be modified through the admin UI.

Connection Properties

Each provider connection stores the following common properties:

Property	Type	Description
Name	string	Unique technical name for the connection
DisplayText	string	Human-readable display name
Source	string	The provider client name (e.g., OpenAI, Azure)
Properties	object	Provider-specific metadata (endpoint, credentials)

Provider-specific metadata stored in Properties:

OpenAI

Property	Type	Required	Description
Endpoint	Uri	Yes	The OpenAI API endpoint
ApiKey	string	Yes	API key (encrypted at rest)

Azure OpenAI

Property	Type	Required	Description
Endpoint	Uri	Yes	The Azure OpenAI resource endpoint
AuthenticationType	string	Yes	Default, ApiKey, or ManagedIdentity
ApiKey	string	When using ApiKey auth	API key (encrypted at rest)
IdentityId	string	No	Optional managed identity client ID

Azure AI Inference (GitHub Models)

Property	Type	Required	Description
Endpoint	Uri	Yes	The Azure AI Inference endpoint
AuthenticationType	string	Yes	Default, ApiKey, or ManagedIdentity
ApiKey	string	When using ApiKey auth	API key (encrypted at rest)
IdentityId	string	No	Optional managed identity client ID

Ollama

Property	Type	Required	Description
Endpoint	Uri	Yes	The Ollama server endpoint (e.g., http://localhost:11434)

Adding a Provider Connection via Recipe

Use the AIProviderConnections recipe step to provision connections. The step matches existing connections by Name and Source, creating new ones when no match is found.

OpenAI Connection

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "default-openai",
          "DisplayText": "Default OpenAI Connection",
          "Source": "OpenAI",
          "Properties": {
            "OpenAIConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://api.openai.com/v1",
              "ApiKey": "sk-your-api-key-here"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Azure OpenAI Connection (API Key)

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "default-azure-openai",
          "DisplayText": "Default Azure OpenAI Connection",
          "Source": "Azure",
          "Properties": {
            "AzureConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://your-resource.openai.azure.com",
              "AuthenticationType": "ApiKey",
              "ApiKey": "your-azure-api-key-here"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Azure OpenAI Connection (Managed Identity)

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "azure-openai-mi",
          "DisplayText": "Azure OpenAI with Managed Identity",
          "Source": "Azure",
          "Properties": {
            "AzureConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://your-resource.openai.azure.com",
              "AuthenticationType": "ManagedIdentity",
              "IdentityId": "your-managed-identity-client-id"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Azure AI Inference Connection (GitHub Models)

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "default-github-models",
          "DisplayText": "GitHub Models Connection",
          "Source": "AzureAIInference",
          "Properties": {
            "AzureAIInferenceConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://models.inference.ai.azure.com",
              "AuthenticationType": "ApiKey",
              "ApiKey": "your-github-token-here"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Ollama Connection

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "default-ollama",
          "DisplayText": "Local Ollama Connection",
          "Source": "Ollama",
          "Properties": {
            "OllamaConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "http://localhost:11434"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Managing AI Connection Deployments

Use the AIProviderConnectionDeploymentStep deployment step to include provider connections in a deployment plan.

• Set IncludeAll to true to export all connections.
• Specify individual connections using the ConnectionIds array.

Important: Exported connections have API keys stripped for security. After importing a deployment plan, you must re-enter API keys through the admin UI or provide them via a follow-up recipe.

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "AIProviderConnections",
      "Connections": [
        {
          "Name": "default-openai",
          "DisplayText": "Default OpenAI Connection",
          "Source": "OpenAI",
          "Properties": {
            "OpenAIConnectionMetadata": {
              "Endpoint": "https://api.openai.com/v1",
              "ApiKey": ""
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Security Best Practices

• Never commit API keys to source control. Use environment variables or Azure Key Vault to inject secrets at deployment time.
• Use Managed Identity when deploying to Azure to avoid storing API keys entirely.
• Limit permissions — grant the ManageProviderConnections permission only to trusted administrator roles.
• Review deployment plans before importing to ensure no sensitive data is accidentally included.
• API keys are encrypted at rest using the AIProviderConnection data protector via IDataProtectionProvider.