Taskmaster works with 15+ AI providers. You can mix and match — use Anthropic for task generation, Perplexity for research, and a local model for fallback. Bring your own keys and switch models anytime.
Taskmaster uses three independent model roles, each configurable with its own provider and model:
| Role | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Main | Task generation, expansion, updates, and analysis | Anthropic Claude Sonnet |
| Research | Live web search for current information and citations | Perplexity Sonar |
| Fallback | Used when the main model fails or is unavailable | Anthropic Claude Sonnet |
# Interactive setup — walks through all three roles
tm models --setup
# Set models directly
tm models --set-main claude-sonnet-4-20250514
tm models --set-research sonar
tm models --set-fallback gpt-4o-mini
# View current configuration
tm models
| Provider | Models | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku | General-purpose (recommended default) |
| OpenAI | GPT-4o, o3, o3-mini | Reasoning-heavy tasks |
| Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash | Fast generation, large context | |
| Perplexity | Sonar, Sonar Deep Research | Research with live web access |
| xAI | Grok 4, Grok 3, Grok 2 | Large codebase context |
| Groq | Various models | Fast inference |
| OpenRouter | 100+ models | Access any model through one API |
| Mistral | Mistral models | European AI provider |
| Azure OpenAI | GPT models via Azure | Enterprise deployments |
| Amazon Bedrock | Claude via AWS | AWS-native deployments |
| Google Vertex | Gemini via GCP | Google Cloud deployments |
Run Taskmaster without sending data to external APIs:
| Provider | Setup | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ollama | Install Ollama, pull a model | Free, fully offline |
| LM Studio | Download models locally | Free, fully offline |
| Claude Code | Install Claude Code CLI | Uses your Claude Code subscription |
| Gemini CLI | Google account | Free tier available |
| OpenAI-compatible | Any compatible endpoint | Varies |
For details on local model setup, see Local Models.
You can change providers at any time without affecting your tasks:
# Switch main model to OpenAI
tm models --set-main gpt-4o
# Switch to a local model
tm models --set-main ollama/llama3
# Use Claude Code (no API key needed)
tm models --set-main claude-code/sonnet
Each provider requires its own API key. See API Keys for the complete setup guide.
Keys can be configured via:
.env file in your project root.mcp.json or editor settings