Before You Begin
You'll need a Claude API key from Anthropic. Don't have one yet?
- Visit console.anthropic.com
- Create an account or sign in
- Generate an API key
- Keep it safe - you'll add it in Settings
Cost: Pay-as-you-go. Most operations cost $0.05-$0.25. Verkilo shows the exact cost after every operation.
Setup (One-Time)
Add Your API Key
- Open Settings (⌘, on Mac, Ctrl+, on Windows)
- Click the AI tab
- Paste your API key in the
Claude API Key
field - Click Save
✅ That's it! You're ready to use AI features.
Character Profiles
Generate comprehensive character profiles from your completed scenes.
When to Use
- After writing 5+ scenes featuring a character
- Before starting a new book in a series (refresh their details)
- When you need a quick reference for secondary characters
How to Generate
- Navigate to Characters page (📖 in sidebar)
- Select your character
- Click
Generate from Scenes
button (brain icon) - Wait 15-60 seconds (timer shows progress)
- Review the generated profile
- Edit as needed or regenerate
What You Get
- Physical Description - Appearance, age, clothing
- Personality & Traits - Character patterns and quirks
- Skills & Abilities - What they can do
- Speech Patterns - How they talk
- Relationships - Connections to other characters
- Character Arc - Development across scenes
- Backstory - Past events revealed in your writing
- Scene References - Where each detail came from
💡 Tip: Start with Sonnet model (default). Switch to Haiku for minor characters to save cost.
Location Profiles
Generate detailed location descriptions from scenes set there.
When to Use
- After establishing a location across multiple scenes
- When you need a consolidated reference for future writing
- Before writing scenes at an established location
How to Generate
- Navigate to Locations page (📍 in sidebar)
- Select your location
- Click
Generate from Scenes
button - Wait for generation (typically 20-45 seconds)
- Review generated details
- Edit or regenerate as needed
What You Get
- Type - Building/city/region/natural feature
- Physical Description - Visual details
- Layout & Geography - Spatial arrangement
- Atmosphere - Sensory details (sounds, smells, lighting)
- Function & Purpose - What happens here
- Notable Features - Distinctive elements
- Changes Over Time - How it evolves
- Scene References - Where details appear
Choosing the Right Model
Every AI feature lets you choose between three models. Each has different quality, speed, and cost.
🐰 Haiku - Fast & Cheap
Best for: Minor characters, simple locations, batch processing
Speed: 10-20 seconds
Cost: ~$0.02-$0.05 per profile
Quality: Good for straightforward extraction
Example: Generate profiles for 10 minor characters in your fantasy novel for ~$0.40 total.
⚡ Sonnet - Balanced (Recommended)
Best for: Main characters, important locations, most tasks
Speed: 20-40 seconds
Cost: ~$0.05-$0.20 per profile
Quality: Excellent synthesis and understanding
Example: Generate a protagonist profile with complex arc for ~$0.15.
🧠 Opus - Most Capable
Best for: Protagonist deep-dives, complex world-building
Speed: 30-60 seconds
Cost: ~$0.25-$1.00 per profile
Quality: Highest reasoning and creative synthesis
Example: Generate a multi-POV protagonist profile with nuanced relationships for ~$0.60.
How to Choose
- Open Project Settings → AI Outlines tab
- Select the category (Character Profile, Location Profile, etc.)
- Choose model from dropdown
- Model choice is saved per-category
Strategy: Use Sonnet by default. Switch to Haiku for batch work. Reserve Opus for protagonist-level analysis.
Understanding Costs
After every AI operation, Verkilo shows a message like:
Generated profile • 8.2K tokens (~$0.20)
Reading This
- 8.2K tokens = Combined input and output (~2.5 words per token)
- ~$0.20 = Estimated cost based on model pricing
- Costs under $1 shown in cents (e.g.,
8.9¢
)
Typical Costs
| Task | Model | Cost Range |
|---|---|---|
| Minor character (3-5 scenes) | Haiku | $0.02-$0.03 |
| Minor character (3-5 scenes) | Sonnet | $0.05-$0.08 |
| Major character (15-20 scenes) | Sonnet | $0.12-$0.18 |
| Protagonist (30+ scenes) | Sonnet | $0.20-$0.30 |
| Complex location (20+ scenes) | Sonnet | $0.15-$0.25 |
Monthly Budget Examples
- Casual user: $5-10/month (5-10 profiles, occasional edits)
- Active author: $15-30/month (regular profile generation, series work)
- Professional: $40-80/month (frequent AI assistance, multiple projects)
Tips & Best Practices
✅ Do
- Generate after writing 5+ scenes - More context = better profiles
- Review before accepting - AI is a starting point, not gospel
- Use Haiku for batch work - Generate 10+ minor characters at once
- Regenerate when scenes change - Keep profiles current
❌ Don't
- Generate with 1-2 scenes - Insufficient context for good results
- Use Opus by default - 5× cost of Sonnet, rarely needed
- Treat as canon without review - Always verify AI suggestions
- Regenerate constantly - Wastes API credits unnecessarily
Customizing Prompts (Advanced)
Power users can customize what the AI is told.
View & Edit Prompts
- Open Project Settings → AI Outlines
- Select a category
- The default prompt appears in the textarea
- Edit the instructions
- Click
Save Prompt
What You Can Customize
- Style and tone of output
- Which details to prioritize
- How to handle contradictions
- Output structure preferences
Reset to Default
Click Reset to Default
to restore the original prompt.
💡 Tip: Test custom prompts on minor characters first before using on main cast.
Troubleshooting
Button is Disabled
Cause: Character/location appears in 0 scenes
Solution: Write scenes featuring this entity, then try again
Configure Claude API key in Settings
Cause: No API key set up
Solution: Add your key in Settings → AI tab
Rate limited, try again in a moment
Cause: Too many requests in short time
Solution: Wait 60 seconds, then retry
Generated Profile is Empty/Poor Quality
Causes:
- Scenes lack descriptive content
- Wrong model (Haiku for complex synthesis)
- Only 1-2 scenes analyzed
Solutions:
- Add more descriptive passages to scenes
- Switch to Sonnet or Opus
- Write more scenes before regenerating
Next Steps
Ready to explore more AI features?
- Line Editing - Apply style guides to your prose
- Continuity Checks - Catch contradictions across books
- Scene Summaries - Generate structural outlines
- Book Treatments - Create 2-4 page synopses
See the full AI Settings Guide for advanced features.
Support
- In-app Help: Click Help → AI Features
- Documentation: Settings → AI Outlines → View Docs
- Issues: Report bugs at github.com/verkilo/issues
- Anthropic API: docs.anthropic.com for pricing and limits