Choose a model

This guide helps you choose between Writer’s Palmyra models and external provider models when building agents in AI Studio. Both options are available through the Models page in AI Studio.

Palmyra models

Writer’s Palmyra models are pre-configured and immediately available in AI Studio. The Palmyra family includes:

Model	Best for	Available in
Palmyra X6	Long-horizon agentic workflows, WRITER Agent, sub-agents, grounding, and MCP tool use	WRITER Agent, API
Palmyra X5	General-purpose tasks with advanced reasoning, including financial, medical, and creative use cases	Agent Builder, no-code, API
Palmyra X4	Complex tasks requiring extended context	Agent Builder, no-code, API

For detailed capabilities, context windows, and use cases, see Palmyra models. For pricing, see Palmyra pricing. Palmyra X6 is the default model for WRITER Agent. Palmyra X6, X5, and X4 are available via API. Palmyra X5 and X4 are also available in Agent Builder and no-code apps.

External models

You can also add models from external providers like AWS Bedrock or Microsoft Azure (Azure OpenAI) to use alongside Palmyra models. External models require credential configuration but provide access to models like Claude, Llama, Mistral, and Azure-hosted OpenAI models.

Provider	Status	Setup guide
AWS Bedrock	Available	Configure AWS Bedrock
Microsoft Azure	Available	Configure Microsoft Azure
Baseten	Coming soon	—

For information about adding and managing external models, see Add external models.

Compare Palmyra and external models

Consider the following factors when selecting models for your agents:

Consideration	Palmyra models	External models
Setup	Pre-configured, immediately available	Requires credential configuration
Optimization	Optimized for Writer platform	Varies by provider
Specialized domains	Palmyra X5 covers general-purpose, financial, medical, and creative use cases	General-purpose models
Compliance	Writer-managed compliance	You manage provider compliance
Billing	Unified billing through Writer	Provider rate card plus a 10% WRITER pass-through fee. See Add external models.
Cost visibility	Included in Writer dashboard	Tracked in Writer + provider billing

When to use Palmyra models

Palmyra models are the best choice when you need:

Domain-specific capabilities: Palmyra X5 covers general-purpose, financial, medical, and creative use cases
Simplified billing: All usage appears on your Writer invoice
Writer platform features: Optimized integration with Knowledge Graphs and other Writer capabilities
Compliance simplicity: Writer manages model compliance and security

When to use external models

External models are the best choice when you need:

Existing provider agreements: You have AWS credits or enterprise agreements with cloud providers
Specific model access: You need a particular model not available through Writer (for example, Claude, Llama, or Mistral on Bedrock)
Provider-specific compliance: Your organization mandates specific cloud providers for AI workloads
Model comparison: You want to evaluate performance across different model providers

For information about adding and managing external models, see Add external models.

Use models in your applications

Palmyra models are available on different Writer surfaces depending on the model:

WRITER Agent

WRITER Agent uses Palmyra X6 (palmyra-x6) by default.

Agent Builder and no-code agents

In Agent Builder and no-code chat apps, select a model from the Model dropdown. Palmyra X5 and X4 appear in the list, along with any external models your team has access to. Palmyra X6 is not available in Agent Builder or no-code apps.

API usage

Palmyra X5 and X4 are available via the API. Use the List models endpoint to see all models available to your organization. You can then pass the model ID in any request that supports the model parameter.

curl https://api.writer.com/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $WRITER_API_KEY"

from writerai import Writer

client = Writer()

models = client.models.list()
for model in models.models:
    print(model.id)

import Writer from "writer-sdk";

const client = new Writer();

const models = await client.models.list();
models.models.forEach((model) => console.log(model.id));

To use a model, pass its ID to any completion endpoint. External models use the same API as Palmyra models—just swap the model ID:

curl --location 'https://api.writer.com/v1/chat' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $WRITER_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "anthropic.claude-3-sonnet-20240229-v1:0",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'

from writerai import Writer

client = Writer()

response = client.chat.chat(
    model="anthropic.claude-3-sonnet-20240229-v1:0",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

import Writer from "writer-sdk";

const client = new Writer();

const response = await client.chat.chat({
  model: "anthropic.claude-3-sonnet-20240229-v1:0",
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);

Next steps

Add external models: Configure external models from providers like AWS Bedrock
Palmyra models: Explore Writer’s Palmyra model capabilities

Getting started

Monitor and manage

Core concepts

Models and pricing

Connect to your data

Chat completions

No-code agents

Knowledge Graphs

Tool calling

Additional capabilities

Integrations

Security and compliance

Resources

Palmyra models

External models

Compare Palmyra and external models

When to use Palmyra models

When to use external models

Use models in your applications

WRITER Agent

Agent Builder and no-code agents

API usage

Next steps

​Palmyra models

​External models

​Compare Palmyra and external models

​When to use Palmyra models

​When to use external models

​Use models in your applications

​WRITER Agent

​Agent Builder and no-code agents

​API usage

​Next steps

Palmyra models

External models

Compare Palmyra and external models

When to use Palmyra models

When to use external models

Use models in your applications

WRITER Agent

Agent Builder and no-code agents

API usage

Next steps