How do I change how Pulse thinks, or use my own AI key?

The Pulse settings tab lets the owner pick its brain, its thinking depth, web search, a monthly cap, and whether the team can use it.

Open Pulse (Settings, then Connections, then Pulse) and choose the "Settings" tab. Only the owner sees it.

Pulse's brain

By default Pulse works through Waise, with no key of your own, within the monthly allowance of your plan. See How many Pulse conversations does my plan include?. The tab also lets you choose:

• Basic Pulse: free, the data stays on the server. It answers fixed commands and is less smart.
• Pulse with Claude, Gemini or ChatGPT: with your own key from Anthropic, Google or OpenAI. You pay that provider directly, per use.

To add a key, open "Use my own key", follow the steps on the screen to create a key at the provider, and paste it. The key is stored encrypted on the server, never shown again and never sent to the browser. "Replace key" and "Remove key" change or end it. Without a key, a brain that needs one answers nothing.

How the assistant works

• "The assistant is on for the whole team": turn it off and nobody on the team can chat with Pulse.
• "May search the web": lets Pulse look up competitors, suppliers and regulations. Each search adds to the cost.
• "Thinking depth": "Fast" (short answers, cheapest), "Balanced", "Thorough" (checks more data before answering, recommended) or "Very deep" (for complex analysis, slower and more expensive).

Budget and usage

"Budget and usage" shows this month's cost, the number of answers and what is left. "Monthly cap" sets a ceiling in dollars: 0 means no cap, and at the cap Pulse stops answering until the start of the next month. Cost is calculated from the provider's price list and can differ slightly from the invoice.

Pulse inside your own assistant

If you already use Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, you can connect Pulse to it and work on the store from there. The "Changes through the connection" switch applies only to those outside connections. Inside Waise, Pulse changes money or what shoppers see only after you approve.

Updated November 5, 2026