---
title: "Adding a new provider"
description: "Learn how to contribute a new provider to Bifrost."
icon: "box"
---

This guide will walk you through creating a provider for Bifrost, testing locally, adding it to frontend and CI/CD.

<Note>
**Quick Reference**: This guide uses simplified generic examples for clarity. For complete, production-ready implementations:
- **OpenAI-compatible providers**: See `core/providers/cerebras/` or `core/providers/groq/`
- **Custom API providers**: See `core/providers/huggingface/` or `core/providers/anthropic/`
</Note>

## Setup

1.  **Fork and Clone**:
    *   Fork the repository: https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost/
    *   Clone your fork: `git clone https://github.com/<your_github_username>/bifrost/`
2.  **Initialize**:
    *   Run `make dev` at the root of the project to set up dependencies and tools.

## Provider Structure

Bifrost acts as a gateway:
1.  Receives a request in a standard format (defined in `core/schemas/`).
2.  Converts it to the provider-specific format.
3.  Sends the request to the provider's API.
4.  Receives the provider's response.
5.  Converts it back to the standard Bifrost response format.

To implement a new provider, first step is to add the provider name in `core/schemas/bifrost.go`

- Add it in const declaration of `ModelProvider` type in the format `[ProviderName] ModelProvider = "[providername]"` 
- Then, add it in the StandardProviders array in the same file and if needed add in SupportedBaseProviders.

Next, you will create a directory in `core/providers/` and populate it with specific files following our strict conventions.

### Directory Structure

The directory structure differs based on whether the provider is OpenAI API compatible:

#### Non-OpenAI-compatible Providers

If the provider has a **custom API format** (not OpenAI-compatible), create a new folder `core/providers/[provider_name]/`.

**Complete Reference Structure** (see `core/providers/huggingface/`):

```text
core/providers/
└─ [provider_name]/                 # e.g., huggingface/
    ├── [provider_name].go          # Main provider implementation (REQUIRED)
    ├── [provider_name]_test.go     # Provider automated tests (REQUIRED)
    ├── types.go                    # ALL provider-specific types/structs (REQUIRED)
    ├── utils.go                    # ALL utility functions and constants (REQUIRED)
    ├── errors.go                   # Error handling (if supported)
    ├── chat.go                     # Converters for Chat Completion (if supported)
    ├── speech.go                   # Converters for Text-to-Speech (if supported)
    ├── transcription.go            # Converters for Speech-to-Text (if supported)
    ├── embedding.go                # Converters for Embeddings (if supported)
    ├── images.go                   # Converters for Images (if supported)
    ├── batches.go                  # Converters for Batches (if supported)
    ├── files.go                    # Converters for Files (if supported)
    ├── models.go                   # Converters for List Models (if supported)
    └── responses.go                # Converters for Response Models (if supported)
```

**File Creation Order (CRITICAL)**:
1. Create `types.go` FIRST - Define all provider-specific request/response structures
2. Create `utils.go` SECOND - Define constants, base URLs, and helper functions
3. Create feature files (`chat.go`, `embedding.go`, etc.) THIRD - Implement converters
4. Create `[provider_name].go` FOURTH - Wire everything together
5. Create `[provider_name]_test.go` LAST - Add comprehensive tests

#### OpenAI-compatible Providers

If the provider is **OpenAI API compatible**, you only need a minimal structure:

**Minimal Reference Structure** (see `core/providers/cerebras/`):

```text
core/providers/
└─ [provider_name]/                 # e.g., cerebras/
    ├── [provider_name].go          # Main provider implementation (REQUIRED)
    └── [provider_name]_test.go     # Provider automated tests (REQUIRED)
```

These providers reuse the OpenAI converter logic from `core/providers/openai/`.

### File Conventions & Responsibilities

We enforce **strict separation of concerns** to keep providers maintainable and consistent. Each file has a specific purpose and must follow these rules.

---

#### 1. `types.go` (The Data Layer)

**CRITICAL RULE**: All provider-specific structs (Request/Response DTOs) **MUST** go here. **NEVER** define types in other files.

**Naming Convention**:
- Prefix ALL types with the provider name in PascalCase: `[ProviderName][StructName]`
- Examples: `HuggingFaceChatRequest`, `HuggingFaceModel`, `HuggingFaceToolCall`

**JSON Tag Requirements**:
- Use `json` tags that **exactly match** the provider's API field names
- Use `omitempty` for optional fields
- Use pointers for nullable fields to distinguish between "not set" and "zero value"

**Organization**:
- Group related types together with comments (e.g., `// # CHAT TYPES`, `// # MODELS TYPES`)
- Define request types before response types
- Keep nested types near their parent types

**Generic Example Structure**:
```go
package providername

import "encoding/json"

// # MODELS TYPES

// ProviderNameModel represents a model from the provider's catalog
type ProviderNameModel struct {
    ID          string   `json:"id"`
    Name        string   `json:"name"`
    Description *string  `json:"description,omitempty"`
    CreatedAt   string   `json:"created_at"`
}

// # CHAT TYPES

// ProviderNameChatRequest represents the request payload for chat completion
type ProviderNameChatRequest struct {
    Model       string                      `json:"model" validate:"required"`
    Messages    []ProviderNameChatMessage   `json:"messages"`
    MaxTokens   *int                        `json:"max_tokens,omitempty"`
    Temperature *float64                    `json:"temperature,omitempty"`
    TopP        *float64                    `json:"top_p,omitempty"`
    Stream      *bool                       `json:"stream,omitempty"`
    Tools       []ProviderNameTool          `json:"tools,omitempty"`
    ToolChoice  json.RawMessage             `json:"tool_choice,omitempty"` // flexible: enum or object
}

// ProviderNameChatMessage represents a single message in a chat
type ProviderNameChatMessage struct {
    Role       *string         `json:"role,omitempty"`
    Content    json.RawMessage `json:"content,omitempty"` // flexible: string or []content items
    Name       *string         `json:"name,omitempty"`
    ToolCalls  []ProviderNameToolCall `json:"tool_calls,omitempty"`
}
```

**Key Points**:
- Use `json.RawMessage` for fields that can be multiple types (string or object/array)
- Use pointers (`*float64`, `*bool`) for optional fields
- Add validation tags when appropriate (`validate:"required"`)
- Include comments for complex or non-obvious types

---

#### 2. `utils.go` (The Helper Layer)

**CRITICAL RULE**: All shared utility functions, constants, and configuration helpers **MUST** go here.

**Constants Naming Convention**:
- Use camelCase for unexported constants: `defaultInferenceBaseURL`
- Use SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE for exported constants: `INFERENCE_PROVIDERS`
- Group related constants together

**Function Naming Convention**:
- Use camelCase for unexported helpers: `convertTypeToLowerCase`, `parseErrorResponse`
- Use PascalCase for exported utilities: `ConfigureProxy`, `BuildHeaders`

**Required Contents**:
1. Base URLs and API endpoints
2. Default values and limits
3. Provider-specific constants (like model names, inference providers)
4. HTTP request helpers (headers, authentication)
5. Error handling utilities
6. Data transformation helpers

**Generic Example Structure**:
```go
package providername

import (
    "context"
    "strings"
    "time"

    providerUtils "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/utils"
    schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
)

const (
    defaultBaseURL = "https://api.provider.com"
)

const (
    defaultLimit = 100
    maxLimit     = 500
)

// Helper to parse provider-specific model format
func parseModelString(model string) (string, string) {
    parts := strings.Split(model, "/")
    if len(parts) == 2 {
        return parts[0], parts[1]
    }
    return "", model
}

// Helper to convert type fields to lowercase in JSON schemas
func convertTypeToLowerCase(schema map[string]interface{}) {
    // Implementation for schema normalization...
}
```

**Organization Tips**:
- Group constants by category (URLs, limits, enums)
- Document the source/reason for constants (API docs, limits)
- Keep helper functions focused and single-purpose
- Include error handling in utility functions

---

#### 3. `[provider_name].go` (The Controller Layer)

**CRITICAL RULE**: This is the **orchestration layer**. It coordinates the request flow but **delegates** all conversion logic to feature files.

**Naming Convention**:
- Provider struct: `[ProviderName]Provider` (e.g., `HuggingFaceProvider`)
- Constructor: `New[ProviderName]Provider(config *schemas.ProviderConfig, logger schemas.Logger)`
- Methods: Match interface exactly: `ChatCompletion`, `ChatCompletionStream`, `ListModels`, etc.

**Required Struct Fields** (in order):
```go
type [ProviderName]Provider struct {
    logger               schemas.Logger              // ALWAYS first
    client               *fasthttp.Client            // HTTP client
    networkConfig        schemas.NetworkConfig       // Network settings
    sendBackRawResponse  bool                        // Debug flag
    customProviderConfig *schemas.CustomProviderConfig // Optional
}
```

**Constructor Requirements**:
1. Accept `*schemas.ProviderConfig` and `schemas.Logger`
2. Call `config.CheckAndSetDefaults()`
3. Initialize `fasthttp.Client` with timeouts and limits
4. Configure proxy using `providerUtils.ConfigureProxy`
5. Set default BaseURL if not provided
6. Trim trailing slashes from BaseURL
7. Pre-warm response pools if using sync.Pool
8. Return provider instance (and error for OpenAI-compatible providers)

**Generic Example Structure**:
```go
package providername

import (
    "context"
    "strings"
    "sync"
    "time"

    "github.com/bytedance/sonic"
    providerUtils "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/utils"
    schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
)

// ProviderNameProvider implements the Provider interface
type ProviderNameProvider struct {
    logger               schemas.Logger
    client               *fasthttp.Client
    networkConfig        schemas.NetworkConfig
    sendBackRawResponse  bool
    customProviderConfig *schemas.CustomProviderConfig
}

// Response pools for memory efficiency (optional but recommended)
var chatResponsePool = sync.Pool{
    New: func() any {
        return &ProviderNameChatResponse{}
    },
}

// NewProviderNameProvider creates a new provider instance
func NewProviderNameProvider(config *schemas.ProviderConfig, logger schemas.Logger) *ProviderNameProvider {
    config.CheckAndSetDefaults()

    client := &fasthttp.Client{
        ReadTimeout:         time.Second * time.Duration(config.NetworkConfig.DefaultRequestTimeoutInSeconds),
        WriteTimeout:        time.Second * time.Duration(config.NetworkConfig.DefaultRequestTimeoutInSeconds),
        MaxConnsPerHost:     5000,
        MaxIdleConnDuration: 30 * time.Second,
        MaxConnWaitTimeout:  10 * time.Second,
    }

    // Configure proxy if provided
    client = providerUtils.ConfigureProxy(client, config.ProxyConfig, logger)

    // Set default BaseURL if not provided
    if config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL == "" {
        config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL = defaultBaseURL
    }
    config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL = strings.TrimRight(config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL, "/")

    // Pre-warm response pools (optional optimization)
    for i := 0; i < config.ConcurrencyAndBufferSize.Concurrency; i++ {
        chatResponsePool.Put(&ProviderNameChatResponse{})
    }

    return &ProviderNameProvider{
        logger:               logger,
        client:               client,
        networkConfig:        config.NetworkConfig,
        sendBackRawResponse:  config.SendBackRawResponse,
        customProviderConfig: config.CustomProviderConfig,
    }
}

// GetProviderKey returns the provider identifier
func (provider *ProviderNameProvider) GetProviderKey() schemas.ModelProvider {
    return schemas.ProviderName
}
```

**Method Implementation Pattern** (STRICT ORDER):
1. **Validation**: Check request validity (optional, usually done in converter)
2. **Convert Request**: Call `To[Provider][Feature]Request()` from feature file
3. **Build HTTP Request**: Construct URL, headers, body
4. **Execute Request**: Use `provider.client.Do()` or streaming logic
5. **Handle Errors**: Parse and convert provider errors to `schemas.BifrostError`
6. **Convert Response**: Call `ToBifrost[Feature]Response()` from feature file
7. **Return Result**: Return Bifrost response or error

**Example Method** (generic pattern):
```go
func (p *ProviderNameProvider) ChatCompletion(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostChatRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostChatResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    // 1. Convert Request
    providerReq := ToProviderNameChatCompletionRequest(request)
    
    // 2. Build HTTP Request
    body, err := sonic.Marshal(providerReq)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{/* ... */}
    }
    
    req := fasthttp.AcquireRequest()
    defer fasthttp.ReleaseRequest(req)
    
    req.SetRequestURI(p.networkConfig.BaseURL + "/v1/chat/completions")
    req.Header.SetMethod("POST")
    req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+key.Value)
    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
    req.SetBody(body)
    
    // 3. Execute Request
    resp := fasthttp.AcquireResponse()
    defer fasthttp.ReleaseResponse(resp)
    
    if err := p.client.Do(req, resp); err != nil {
        return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{/* ... */}
    }
    
    // 4. Handle Errors
    if resp.StatusCode() != 200 {
        return nil, parseErrorResponse(resp.Body())
    }
    
    // 5. Convert Response
    var providerResp ProviderNameChatResponse
    if err := sonic.Unmarshal(resp.Body(), &providerResp); err != nil {
        return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{/* ... */}
    }
    
    return ToBifrostChatResponse(&providerResp)
}
```

---

#### 4. Feature Files (`chat.go`, `embedding.go`, `speech.go`, etc.) (The Converter Layer)

**CRITICAL RULE**: These files contain **pure transformation functions** ONLY. No HTTP calls, no logging, no side effects.

**File Naming Convention**:
- `chat.go` - Chat completion converters
- `embedding.go` - Embedding converters
- `speech.go` - Text-to-speech converters
- `transcription.go` - Speech-to-text converters
- `models.go` - List models converters
- `responses.go` - Response format converters

**Function Naming Convention** (STRICT):
- **To Provider Format**: `To[ProviderName][Feature]Request(bifrostReq *schemas.Bifrost[Feature]Request) *[ProviderName][Feature]Request`
- **To Bifrost Format**: `ToBifrost[Feature]Response(providerResp *[ProviderName][Feature]Response) (*schemas.Bifrost[Feature]Response, *schemas.BifrostError)`

**Examples**:
- `ToHuggingFaceChatCompletionRequest`
- `ToBifrostChatResponse`
- `ToHuggingFaceEmbeddingRequest`
- `ToBifrostEmbeddingResponse`

**Required Converter Pairs** (if feature is supported):
- Request converter: Bifrost → Provider
- Response converter: Provider → Bifrost

**Real Example from `core/providers/huggingface/chat.go`**:
```go
package huggingface

import (
    "encoding/json"
    "fmt"

    "github.com/bytedance/sonic"
    schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
)

// ToHuggingFaceChatCompletionRequest converts a Bifrost chat request to HuggingFace format
func ToHuggingFaceChatCompletionRequest(bifrostReq *schemas.BifrostChatRequest) *HuggingFaceChatRequest {
    if bifrostReq == nil || bifrostReq.Input == nil {
        return nil
    }

    // Convert messages from Bifrost format to HuggingFace format
    hfMessages := make([]HuggingFaceChatMessage, 0, len(bifrostReq.Input))
    for _, msg := range bifrostReq.Input {
        hfMsg := HuggingFaceChatMessage{}

        // Set role
        if msg.Role != "" {
            role := string(msg.Role)
            hfMsg.Role = &role
        }

        // Set name if present
        if msg.Name != nil {
            hfMsg.Name = msg.Name
        }

        // Convert content (can be string or structured blocks)
        if msg.Content != nil {
            if msg.Content.ContentStr != nil {
                // Simple string content
                contentJSON, _ := sonic.Marshal(*msg.Content.ContentStr)
                hfMsg.Content = json.RawMessage(contentJSON)
            } else if msg.Content.ContentBlocks != nil {
                // Structured content blocks (text, images, etc.)
                contentItems := make([]HuggingFaceContentItem, 0, len(msg.Content.ContentBlocks))
                for _, block := range msg.Content.ContentBlocks {
                    item := HuggingFaceContentItem{}
                    blockType := string(block.Type)
                    item.Type = &blockType

                    switch block.Type {
                    case schemas.ChatContentBlockTypeText:
                        if block.Text != nil {
                            item.Text = block.Text
                        }
                    case schemas.ChatContentBlockTypeImage:
                        if block.ImageURLStruct != nil {
                            item.ImageURL = &HuggingFaceImageRef{
                                URL: block.ImageURLStruct.URL,
                            }
                        }
                    }
                    contentItems = append(contentItems, item)
                }
                contentJSON, _ := sonic.Marshal(contentItems)
                hfMsg.Content = json.RawMessage(contentJSON)
            }
        }

        // Handle tool calls for assistant messages
        if msg.ChatAssistantMessage != nil && len(msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls) > 0 {
            hfToolCalls := make([]HuggingFaceToolCall, 0, len(msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls))
            for _, tc := range msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls {
                hfToolCall := HuggingFaceToolCall{
                    ID:   tc.ID,
                    Type: tc.Type,
                    Function: HuggingFaceFunction{
                        Name:      *tc.Function.Name,
                        Arguments: tc.Function.Arguments,
                    },
                }
                hfToolCalls = append(hfToolCalls, hfToolCall)
            }
            hfMsg.ToolCalls = hfToolCalls
        }

        hfMessages = append(hfMessages, hfMsg)
    }

    // Build the request
    hfReq := &HuggingFaceChatRequest{
        Model:    bifrostReq.Model,
        Messages: hfMessages,
    }

    // Map parameters
    if bifrostReq.Params != nil {
        params := bifrostReq.Params
        
        // Map standard parameters
        if params.Temperature != nil {
            hfReq.Temperature = params.Temperature
        }
        if params.MaxTokens != nil {
            hfReq.MaxTokens = params.MaxTokens
        }
        // ... other standard parameters
        
        // Handle provider-specific ExtraParams
        if params.ExtraParams != nil {
            if customParam, ok := params.ExtraParams["custom_param"].(string); ok {
                hfReq.CustomParam = &customParam
            }
        }
    }

    return hfReq
}
```

**Generic Example - Embedding Converter**:
```go
package providername

import (
    "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
)

// ToProviderNameEmbeddingRequest converts a Bifrost embedding request to provider format
func ToProviderNameEmbeddingRequest(bifrostReq *schemas.BifrostEmbeddingRequest) *ProviderNameEmbeddingRequest {
    if bifrostReq == nil {
        return nil
    }

    providerReq := &ProviderNameEmbeddingRequest{
        Model: bifrostReq.Model,
    }

    // Convert input
    if bifrostReq.Input != nil {
        if bifrostReq.Input.Text != nil {
            providerReq.Input = *bifrostReq.Input.Text
        } else if bifrostReq.Input.Texts != nil {
            providerReq.Input = bifrostReq.Input.Texts
        }
    }

    // Map provider-specific parameters from ExtraParams
    if bifrostReq.Params != nil && bifrostReq.Params.ExtraParams != nil {
        if normalize, ok := bifrostReq.Params.ExtraParams["normalize"].(bool); ok {
            providerReq.Normalize = &normalize
        }
    }

    return providerReq
}
```

**Generic Example - List Models Converter**:
```go
package providername

import (
    "strings"
    schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
)

// ToBifrostListModelsResponse converts provider models list to Bifrost format
func ToBifrostListModelsResponse(
    providerResp *ProviderNameListModelsResponse,
    providerKey schemas.ModelProvider,
) *schemas.BifrostListModelsResponse {
    if providerResp == nil {
        return nil
    }

    bifrostResponse := &schemas.BifrostListModelsResponse{
        Data: make([]schemas.Model, 0, len(providerResp.Models)),
    }
    
    for _, model := range providerResp.Models {
        // Determine supported methods based on model capabilities
        supported := determineSupportedMethods(model)
        if len(supported) == 0 {
            continue
        }

        newModel := schemas.Model{
            ID:               model.ID,
            Name:             &model.Name,
            SupportedMethods: supported,
        }

        bifrostResponse.Data = append(bifrostResponse.Data, newModel)
    }
    
    return bifrostResponse
}

// Helper to determine which Bifrost methods a model supports
func determineSupportedMethods(model ProviderNameModel) []string {
    methods := []string{}
    
    // Logic to derive supported methods from model metadata
    // This varies by provider
    
    return methods
}
```

**Converter Best Practices**:
1. **Always check for nil** inputs at the start
2. **Pre-allocate slices** with known capacity for performance
3. **Handle optional fields** using pointers in types
4. **Use ExtraParams** for provider-specific fields not in standard schema
5. **Document complex conversions** with inline comments
6. **Keep functions pure** - no side effects, no external state
7. **Return errors** when conversion fails (for response converters)

### OpenAI-compatible Providers

If you are implementing a provider that is **strictly OpenAI API compatible**, the implementation is significantly simpler. You reuse all the conversion logic from `core/providers/openai/`.

**When to Use This Approach**:
- Provider's API is 100% OpenAI-compatible
- Same request/response formats
- Same endpoint paths (`/v1/chat/completions`, `/v1/completions`, etc.)
- Only differences are: base URL, authentication, and possibly some extra headers

**Complete Reference: `core/providers/cerebras/cerebras.go`**

---

#### Step 1: Create the Provider File

Create `core/providers/[provider_name]/[provider_name].go`:

```go
// Package cerebras implements the Cerebras LLM provider.
package cerebras

import (
    "context"
    "strings"
    "time"

    "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/openai"
    providerUtils "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/utils"
    schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
)

// CerebrasProvider implements the Provider interface for Cerebras's API.
type CerebrasProvider struct {
    logger              schemas.Logger        // Logger for provider operations
    client              *fasthttp.Client      // HTTP client for API requests
    networkConfig       schemas.NetworkConfig // Network configuration including extra headers
    sendBackRawResponse bool                  // Whether to include raw response in BifrostResponse
}

// NewCerebrasProvider creates a new Cerebras provider instance.
// It initializes the HTTP client with the provided configuration and sets up response pools.
func NewCerebrasProvider(config *schemas.ProviderConfig, logger schemas.Logger) (*CerebrasProvider, error) {
    config.CheckAndSetDefaults()

    client := &fasthttp.Client{
        ReadTimeout:         time.Second * time.Duration(config.NetworkConfig.DefaultRequestTimeoutInSeconds),
        WriteTimeout:        time.Second * time.Duration(config.NetworkConfig.DefaultRequestTimeoutInSeconds),
        MaxConnsPerHost:     5000,
        MaxIdleConnDuration: 30 * time.Second,
        MaxConnWaitTimeout:  10 * time.Second,
    }

    // Configure proxy if provided
    client = providerUtils.ConfigureProxy(client, config.ProxyConfig, logger)

    // Set default BaseURL if not provided
    if config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL == "" {
        config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL = "https://api.cerebras.ai"
    }
    config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL = strings.TrimRight(config.NetworkConfig.BaseURL, "/")

    return &CerebrasProvider{
        logger:              logger,
        client:              client,
        networkConfig:       config.NetworkConfig,
        sendBackRawResponse: config.SendBackRawResponse,
    }, nil
}

// GetProviderKey returns the provider identifier for Cerebras.
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) GetProviderKey() schemas.ModelProvider {
    return schemas.Cerebras
}
```

---

#### Step 2: Implement Required Methods Using OpenAI Handlers

For each supported feature, delegate to the corresponding OpenAI handler:

**Chat Completion (Non-Streaming)**:
```go
// ChatCompletion performs a chat completion request to the Cerebras API.
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) ChatCompletion(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostChatRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostChatResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return openai.HandleOpenAIChatCompletionRequest(
        ctx,
        provider.client,
        provider.networkConfig.BaseURL+providerUtils.GetPathFromContext(ctx, "/v1/chat/completions"),
        request,
        key,
        provider.networkConfig.ExtraHeaders,
        providerUtils.ShouldSendBackRawResponse(ctx, provider.sendBackRawResponse),
        provider.GetProviderKey(),
        provider.logger,
    )
}
```

**Chat Completion (Streaming)**:
```go
// ChatCompletionStream performs a streaming chat completion request to the Cerebras API.
// It supports real-time streaming of responses using Server-Sent Events (SSE).
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) ChatCompletionStream(
    ctx context.Context,
    postHookRunner schemas.PostHookRunner,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostChatRequest,
) (chan *schemas.BifrostStream, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    var authHeader map[string]string
    if key.Value != "" {
        authHeader = map[string]string{"Authorization": "Bearer " + key.Value}
    }
    
    // Use shared OpenAI-compatible streaming logic
    return openai.HandleOpenAIChatCompletionStreaming(
        ctx,
        provider.client,
        provider.networkConfig.BaseURL+"/v1/chat/completions",
        request,
        authHeader,
        provider.networkConfig.ExtraHeaders,
        providerUtils.ShouldSendBackRawResponse(ctx, provider.sendBackRawResponse),
        provider.GetProviderKey(),
        postHookRunner,
        nil, // customStreamParser - use nil for standard OpenAI format
        provider.logger,
    )
}
```

**Text Completion (Non-Streaming)**:
```go
// TextCompletion performs a text completion request to Cerebras's API.
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) TextCompletion(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostTextCompletionRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostTextCompletionResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return openai.HandleOpenAITextCompletionRequest(
        ctx,
        provider.client,
        provider.networkConfig.BaseURL+providerUtils.GetPathFromContext(ctx, "/v1/completions"),
        request,
        key,
        provider.networkConfig.ExtraHeaders,
        provider.GetProviderKey(),
        providerUtils.ShouldSendBackRawResponse(ctx, provider.sendBackRawResponse),
        provider.logger,
    )
}
```

**Text Completion (Streaming)**:
```go
// TextCompletionStream performs a streaming text completion request to Cerebras's API.
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) TextCompletionStream(
    ctx context.Context,
    postHookRunner schemas.PostHookRunner,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostTextCompletionRequest,
) (chan *schemas.BifrostStream, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    var authHeader map[string]string
    if key.Value != "" {
        authHeader = map[string]string{"Authorization": "Bearer " + key.Value}
    }
    
    return openai.HandleOpenAITextCompletionStreaming(
        ctx,
        provider.client,
        provider.networkConfig.BaseURL+"/v1/completions",
        request,
        authHeader,
        provider.networkConfig.ExtraHeaders,
        providerUtils.ShouldSendBackRawResponse(ctx, provider.sendBackRawResponse),
        provider.GetProviderKey(),
        postHookRunner,
        nil, // customStreamParser
        provider.logger,
    )
}
```

**List Models**:
```go
// ListModels performs a list models request to Cerebras's API.
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) ListModels(
    ctx context.Context,
    keys []schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostListModelsRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostListModelsResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return openai.HandleOpenAIListModelsRequest(
        ctx,
        provider.client,
        request,
        provider.networkConfig.BaseURL+providerUtils.GetPathFromContext(ctx, "/v1/models"),
        keys,
        provider.networkConfig.ExtraHeaders,
        provider.GetProviderKey(),
        providerUtils.ShouldSendBackRawResponse(ctx, provider.sendBackRawResponse),
        provider.logger,
    )
}
```

---

#### Step 3: Implement Unsupported Methods

For features not supported by the provider, return appropriate errors:

```go
// Embedding is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) Embedding(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostEmbeddingRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostEmbeddingResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Embedding is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// Speech is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) Speech(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostSpeechRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostSpeechResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Speech synthesis is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// SpeechStream is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) SpeechStream(
    ctx context.Context,
    postHookRunner schemas.PostHookRunner,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostSpeechRequest,
) (chan *schemas.BifrostStream, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Speech synthesis streaming is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// Transcription is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) Transcription(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostTranscriptionRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostTranscriptionResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Transcription is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// TranscriptionStream is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) TranscriptionStream(
    ctx context.Context,
    postHookRunner schemas.PostHookRunner,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostTranscriptionRequest,
) (chan *schemas.BifrostStream, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Transcription streaming is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// Responses is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) Responses(
    ctx context.Context,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostResponsesRequest,
) (*schemas.BifrostResponsesResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Responses is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}

// ResponsesStream is not supported by Cerebras
func (provider *CerebrasProvider) ResponsesStream(
    ctx context.Context,
    postHookRunner schemas.PostHookRunner,
    key schemas.Key,
    request *schemas.BifrostResponsesRequest,
) (chan *schemas.BifrostStream, *schemas.BifrostError) {
    return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
        StatusCode: http.StatusNotImplemented,
        Message:    "Responses streaming is not supported by Cerebras",
        Type:       "unsupported_feature",
    }
}
```

---

#### Key Points for OpenAI-compatible Providers

**Constructor Differences**:
- Returns `(*[ProviderName]Provider, error)` instead of just `*[ProviderName]Provider`
- Must set a default `BaseURL` specific to the provider
- Must trim trailing slashes from `BaseURL`

**URL Construction**:
- Use `provider.networkConfig.BaseURL + "/v1/[endpoint]"` for direct paths
- Use `providerUtils.GetPathFromContext(ctx, "/v1/[endpoint]")` when path might be overridden in context

**Authentication Headers**:
- Create `authHeader map[string]string` with `Authorization: Bearer {key}`
- Pass to OpenAI handlers separately from `ExtraHeaders`

**Custom Stream Parsers**:
- Pass `nil` for `customStreamParser` if using standard OpenAI SSE format
- Only implement custom parser if provider uses non-standard streaming format

**Error Handling**:
- OpenAI handlers return `*schemas.BifrostError` - propagate directly
- For unsupported features, return custom error with `StatusNotImplemented`

**Advantages of This Approach**:
- **Automatic updates** - benefits from OpenAI handler improvements
- **Consistent behavior** - same conversion logic as OpenAI
- **Easy maintenance** - only provider-specific config in your file

## Implementation Steps

Follow this **exact order** when implementing a new provider.

---

### For Non-OpenAI-compatible Providers

#### Phase 1: Research & Planning (Before Writing Code)

1. **Study the Provider's API Documentation**:
   - Identify all supported endpoints (chat, embeddings, speech, etc.)
   - Note authentication method (API key, bearer token, custom headers)
   - Document base URL and endpoint paths
   - List all request/response fields
   - Identify provider-specific parameters not in OpenAI schema

2. **Create a Mapping Document** (recommended):
   ```markdown
   # Provider: [ProviderName]
   
   ## Authentication
   - Method: Bearer token / API key in header
   - Header name: Authorization / X-API-Key
   
   ## Base URL
   - Production: https://api.provider.com
   - Staging: https://staging.provider.com (if applicable)
   
   ## Endpoints
   - Chat Completions: POST /v1/chat/completions
   - Embeddings: POST /v1/embeddings
   - Models: GET /v1/models
   
   ## Request Fields
   ### Chat Completions
   - model (required): string
   - messages (required): array
   - temperature (optional): float
   - max_tokens (optional): int
   - [provider_specific_field] (optional): type
   
   ## Response Fields
   ### Chat Completions
   - id: string
   - choices: array
   - usage: object
   - [provider_specific_field]: type
   ```

---

#### Phase 2: Create Directory Structure

3. **Create Provider Directory**:
   ```bash
   mkdir -p core/providers/[provider_name]
   cd core/providers/[provider_name]
   ```

---

#### Phase 3: Define Types (types.go)

4. **Create `types.go` - Define ALL Provider-Specific Types**:

   **Order of Type Definitions**:
   ```go
   package [provider_name]

   import "encoding/json"

   // # MODELS TYPES
   // Define model-related types first
   type [ProviderName]Model struct { ... }
   type [ProviderName]ListModelsResponse struct { ... }

   // # CHAT TYPES
   // Define chat-related types
   type [ProviderName]ChatRequest struct { ... }
   type [ProviderName]ChatResponse struct { ... }
   type [ProviderName]ChatMessage struct { ... }
   type [ProviderName]ChatChoice struct { ... }

   // # EMBEDDING TYPES
   // Define embedding-related types
   type [ProviderName]EmbeddingRequest struct { ... }
   type [ProviderName]EmbeddingResponse struct { ... }

   // # SPEECH TYPES (if applicable)
   // Define speech-related types

   // # TRANSCRIPTION TYPES (if applicable)
   // Define transcription-related types

   // # ERROR TYPES
   // Define error response types
   type [ProviderName]ErrorResponse struct { ... }
   ```

   **Type Naming Checklist**:
   - ✅ All types prefixed with provider name: `HuggingFaceChatRequest`
   - ✅ JSON tags match provider API exactly: `json:"model_name"`
   - ✅ Optional fields use `omitempty`: `json:"temperature,omitempty"`
   - ✅ Nullable fields use pointers: `*float64`, `*string`
   - ✅ Flexible fields use `json.RawMessage`: `Content json.RawMessage`
   - ✅ Required fields have validation tags: `validate:"required"`

---

#### Phase 4: Define Utilities (utils.go)

5. **Create `utils.go` - Define Constants and Helper Functions**:

   **Order of Definitions**:
   ```go
   package [provider_name]

   import (
       "context"
       "encoding/json"
       "fmt"
       
       providerUtils "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/utils"
       schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
       "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
   )

   // 1. BASE URLs (ALWAYS FIRST)
   const (
       defaultBaseURL = "https://api.provider.com"
       alternateURL   = "https://alternate.provider.com"
   )

   // 2. DEFAULT VALUES AND LIMITS
   const (
       defaultTimeout      = 60
       maxRequestSize      = 1024 * 1024 * 10 // 10MB
       defaultModelLimit   = 100
       maxConcurrentCalls  = 5000
   )

   // 3. PROVIDER-SPECIFIC ENUMS/CONSTANTS
   const (
       providerVersion = "v1"
       apiVersion      = "2024-01"
   )

   // 4. CUSTOM TYPES FOR CONSTANTS (if needed)
   type inferenceProvider string

   const (
       providerA inferenceProvider = "provider-a"
       providerB inferenceProvider = "provider-b"
   )

   // 5. HELPER FUNCTIONS
   // Function to build authentication headers
   func buildAuthHeaders(apiKey string) map[string]string { ... }

   // Function to parse error responses
   func parseErrorResponse(body []byte) *schemas.BifrostError { ... }

   // Function to validate model names
   func validateModelName(model string) error { ... }

   // Function to split composite model identifiers
   func splitModelProvider(model string) (provider, modelName string) { ... }
   ```

   **Utility Function Checklist**:
   - ✅ All base URLs defined as constants
   - ✅ Helper functions use camelCase (unexported) or PascalCase (exported)
   - ✅ Error handling utilities included
   - ✅ HTTP header builders included
   - ✅ Constants grouped logically with comments

---

#### Phase 5: Implement Converters (Feature Files)

6. **Create Feature Files in Order of Complexity** (simplest first):

   **a. Create `models.go` (if supported)**:
   ```go
   package [provider_name]

   import (
       "fmt"
       schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
   )

   // ToBifrostListModelsResponse converts provider models to Bifrost format
   func (response *[ProviderName]ListModelsResponse) ToBifrostListModelsResponse(
       providerKey schemas.ModelProvider,
   ) *schemas.BifrostListModelsResponse {
       if response == nil {
           return nil
       }

       bifrostResponse := &schemas.BifrostListModelsResponse{
           Data: make([]schemas.Model, 0, len(response.Models)),
       }

       for _, model := range response.Models {
           // Validation
           if model.ID == "" {
               continue
           }

           // Conversion logic
           bifrostModel := schemas.Model{
               ID:               fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", providerKey, model.ID),
               Name:             &model.Name,
               SupportedMethods: deriveSupportedMethods(model),
           }

           bifrostResponse.Data = append(bifrostResponse.Data, bifrostModel)
       }

       return bifrostResponse
   }

   // Helper function to determine supported methods
   func deriveSupportedMethods(model [ProviderName]Model) []string {
       // Implementation
   }
   ```

   **b. Create `embedding.go` (if supported)**:
   ```go
   package [provider_name]

   import schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"

   // To[ProviderName]EmbeddingRequest converts Bifrost request to provider format
   func To[ProviderName]EmbeddingRequest(
       bifrostReq *schemas.BifrostEmbeddingRequest,
   ) *[ProviderName]EmbeddingRequest {
       if bifrostReq == nil {
           return nil
       }

       providerReq := &[ProviderName]EmbeddingRequest{
           Model: bifrostReq.Model,
       }

       // Convert input
       if bifrostReq.Input != nil {
           if bifrostReq.Input.Text != nil {
               providerReq.Input = *bifrostReq.Input.Text
           } else if bifrostReq.Input.Texts != nil {
               providerReq.Input = bifrostReq.Input.Texts
           }
       }

       // Map parameters
       if bifrostReq.Params != nil {
           // Standard parameters
           if bifrostReq.Params.Dimensions != nil {
               providerReq.Dimensions = bifrostReq.Params.Dimensions
           }

           // Provider-specific parameters from ExtraParams
           if bifrostReq.Params.ExtraParams != nil {
               if val, ok := bifrostReq.Params.ExtraParams["provider_param"].(string); ok {
                   providerReq.ProviderParam = &val
               }
           }
       }

       return providerReq
   }

   // ToBifrostEmbeddingResponse converts provider response to Bifrost format
   func ToBifrostEmbeddingResponse(
       providerResp *[ProviderName]EmbeddingResponse,
   ) (*schemas.BifrostEmbeddingResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
       if providerResp == nil {
           return nil, &schemas.BifrostError{
               Message: "Provider response is nil",
               Type:    "invalid_response",
           }
       }

       bifrostResp := &schemas.BifrostEmbeddingResponse{
           Data: make([]schemas.EmbeddingData, 0, len(providerResp.Data)),
       }

       for i, embedding := range providerResp.Data {
           bifrostResp.Data = append(bifrostResp.Data, schemas.EmbeddingData{
               Index:     i,
               Embedding: embedding.Values,
           })
       }

       // Map usage if available
       if providerResp.Usage != nil {
           bifrostResp.Usage = &schemas.Usage{
               PromptTokens: providerResp.Usage.InputTokens,
               TotalTokens:  providerResp.Usage.TotalTokens,
           }
       }

       return bifrostResp, nil
   }
   ```

   **c. Create `chat.go` (most complex)**:
   ```go
   package [provider_name]

   import (
       "encoding/json"
       "github.com/bytedance/sonic"
       schemas "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
   )

   // To[ProviderName]ChatCompletionRequest converts Bifrost chat request to provider format
   func To[ProviderName]ChatCompletionRequest(
       bifrostReq *schemas.BifrostChatRequest,
   ) *[ProviderName]ChatRequest {
       if bifrostReq == nil || bifrostReq.Input == nil {
           return nil
       }

       // Convert messages
       providerMessages := make([][ProviderName]ChatMessage, 0, len(bifrostReq.Input))
       for _, msg := range bifrostReq.Input {
           providerMsg := [ProviderName]ChatMessage{}

           // Set role
           if msg.Role != "" {
               role := string(msg.Role)
               providerMsg.Role = &role
           }

           // Set name if present
           if msg.Name != nil {
               providerMsg.Name = msg.Name
           }

           // Convert content (can be string or structured)
           if msg.Content != nil {
               if msg.Content.ContentStr != nil {
                   // Simple string content
                   contentJSON, _ := sonic.Marshal(*msg.Content.ContentStr)
                   providerMsg.Content = json.RawMessage(contentJSON)
               } else if msg.Content.ContentBlocks != nil {
                   // Structured content (text, images, etc.)
                   contentItems := make([][ProviderName]ContentItem, 0, len(msg.Content.ContentBlocks))
                   for _, block := range msg.Content.ContentBlocks {
                       item := [ProviderName]ContentItem{}
                       blockType := string(block.Type)
                       item.Type = &blockType

                       switch block.Type {
                       case schemas.ChatContentBlockTypeText:
                           if block.Text != nil {
                               item.Text = block.Text
                           }
                       case schemas.ChatContentBlockTypeImage:
                           if block.ImageURLStruct != nil {
                               item.ImageURL = &[ProviderName]ImageRef{
                                   URL: block.ImageURLStruct.URL,
                               }
                           }
                       }
                       contentItems = append(contentItems, item)
                   }
                   contentJSON, _ := sonic.Marshal(contentItems)
                   providerMsg.Content = json.RawMessage(contentJSON)
               }
           }

           // Handle tool calls for assistant messages
           if msg.ChatAssistantMessage != nil && len(msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls) > 0 {
               providerToolCalls := make([][ProviderName]ToolCall, 0, len(msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls))
               for _, tc := range msg.ChatAssistantMessage.ToolCalls {
                   providerToolCall := [ProviderName]ToolCall{
                       ID:   tc.ID,
                       Type: tc.Type,
                       Function: [ProviderName]Function{
                           Name:      *tc.Function.Name,
                           Arguments: tc.Function.Arguments,
                       },
                   }
                   providerToolCalls = append(providerToolCalls, providerToolCall)
               }
               providerMsg.ToolCalls = providerToolCalls
           }

           // Handle tool call responses
           if msg.ChatToolMessage != nil && msg.ChatToolMessage.ToolCallID != nil {
               providerMsg.ToolCallID = msg.ChatToolMessage.ToolCallID
           }

           providerMessages = append(providerMessages, providerMsg)
       }

       // Build the request
       providerReq := &[ProviderName]ChatRequest{
           Model:    bifrostReq.Model,
           Messages: providerMessages,
       }

       // Map parameters
       if bifrostReq.Params != nil {
           params := bifrostReq.Params

           // Standard parameters
           if params.Temperature != nil {
               providerReq.Temperature = params.Temperature
           }
           if params.MaxTokens != nil {
               providerReq.MaxTokens = params.MaxTokens
           }
           if params.TopP != nil {
               providerReq.TopP = params.TopP
           }
           if params.FrequencyPenalty != nil {
               providerReq.FrequencyPenalty = params.FrequencyPenalty
           }
           if params.PresencePenalty != nil {
               providerReq.PresencePenalty = params.PresencePenalty
           }
           if params.Stop != nil {
               providerReq.Stop = params.Stop
           }
           if params.Seed != nil {
               providerReq.Seed = params.Seed
           }

           // Tool/Function calling - omitted for brevity; see complete provider examples
       }

       return providerReq
   }
   ```

**Key conversion patterns to implement**:
   ```go
   // Request Converter - Maps Bifrost standard to provider format
   func To[ProviderName][Feature]Request(bifrostReq) *[ProviderName]Request {
       // 1. Nil check
       // 2. Convert messages/input
       // 3. Map standard parameters (temp, max_tokens, etc.)
       // 4. Map tools/functions if supported
       // 5. Map ExtraParams to provider-specific fields
       return providerReq
   }

   // Response Converter - Maps provider format back to Bifrost
   func ToBifrost[Feature]Response(providerResp) (*schemas.BifrostResponse, *schemas.BifrostError) {
       // 1. Nil check with error return
       // 2. Convert choices/results
       // 3. Convert messages/content
       // 4. Convert tool calls if present
       // 5. Convert usage/metadata
       return bifrostResp, nil
   }
   ```

   **Converter Checklist for Each Feature File**:
   - ✅ Request converter: `To[ProviderName][Feature]Request`
   - ✅ Response converter: `ToBifrost[Feature]Response`
   - ✅ Nil checks at start of every function
   - ✅ Pre-allocate slices with capacity
   - ✅ Handle all optional fields with nil checks
   - ✅ Map ExtraParams to provider-specific fields
   - ✅ Return errors for response converters
   - ✅ Document complex transformations

   <Tip>See actual implementation examples in `core/providers/huggingface/`, `core/providers/anthropic/`, or other existing providers for complete patterns.</Tip>

---

#### Phase 6: Implement Provider (provider_name.go)

7. **Create `[provider_name].go` - Wire Everything Together**:

   See detailed structure in "File Conventions & Responsibilities" section above.

   **Implementation Checklist**:
   - ✅ Package comment at top
   - ✅ All imports organized (stdlib, external, internal)
   - ✅ Provider struct with correct field order
   - ✅ Response pools (if using sync.Pool)
   - ✅ Constructor with proper initialization
   - ✅ `GetProviderKey()` method
   - ✅ All interface methods implemented
   - ✅ Each method follows the strict order: convert → execute → handle errors → convert back

---

#### Phase 7: Add Tests

8. **Create `[provider_name]_test.go`**:

   See "Adding Automated Tests" section below for complete details.

---

### For OpenAI-compatible Providers

For OpenAI-compatible providers, follow the simpler structure shown in the "OpenAI-compatible Providers" section above.

**Implementation Checklist**:
- ✅ Create `[provider_name].go` only
- ✅ Import `github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/openai`
- ✅ Implement constructor returning `(*Provider, error)`
- ✅ Set default BaseURL specific to provider
- ✅ Delegate all methods to `openai.HandleOpenAI*` functions
- ✅ Return errors for unsupported features
- ✅ Create `[provider_name]_test.go`


## Adding to UI

Once your provider is implemented and tested, you need to integrate it into the Bifrost UI and CI/CD pipelines.

---

### Step 1: Update UI Constants

#### a. Add Model Placeholder (`ui/lib/constants/config.ts`)

Add a model placeholder example for your provider to help users understand the expected model format:

```typescript
export const ModelPlaceholders = {
    openai: "e.g. gpt-4, gpt-3.5-turbo",
    anthropic: "e.g. claude-3-opus, claude-3-sonnet",
    // ... other providers
    [providername]: "e.g. model-1, model-2",  // Add your provider here
};
```

**Example**:
```typescript
huggingface: "e.g. google/gemma-2-2b-it, nebius/Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B",
```

#### b. Set Key Requirement (`ui/lib/constants/config.ts`)

Specify whether your provider requires an API key:

```typescript
export const isKeyRequiredByProvider: Record<ProviderName, boolean> = {
    openai: true,
    anthropic: true,
    // ... other providers
    [providername]: true,  // Set to true if API key is required, false otherwise
};
```

**Example**:
```typescript
huggingface: true,  // HuggingFace requires API key
ollama: false,      // Ollama doesn't require API key (local)
```

---

### Step 2: Add Provider Icon (`ui/lib/constants/icons.tsx`)

Create an SVG icon for your provider. You can use the provider's official brand icon or a placeholder.

```typescript
export const ProviderIcons = {
    // ... existing providers
    
    [providername]: ({ size = "md", className = "" }: IconProps) => {
        const resolvedSize = resolveSize(size);
        
        return (
            <svg height="1em" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="1em" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
                <title>ProviderName</title>
                {/* Add your SVG path here */}
                <path d="..." fill="#HexColor"></path>
            </svg>
        );
    },
} as const;
```

**Tips**:
- Get the official icon from the provider's brand assets or press kit
- Ensure the SVG is properly formatted and viewBox is set to "0 0 24 24"
- Use the provider's brand color for the fill attribute
- Keep the icon simple and recognizable at small sizes

---

### Step 3: Register Provider Name (`ui/lib/constants/logs.ts`)

#### a. Add to Known Providers List

```typescript
export const KnownProvidersNames = [
    "anthropic",
    "azure",
    "bedrock",
    // ... other providers
    "[providername]",  // Add your provider name (lowercase)
] as const;
```

#### b. Add Provider Label

```typescript
export const ProviderLabels: Record<ProviderName, string> = {
    anthropic: "Anthropic",
    azure: "Azure",
    bedrock: "AWS Bedrock",
    // ... other providers
    [providername]: "ProviderName",  // Add display name (proper capitalization)
} as const;
```

**Example**:
```typescript
huggingface: "HuggingFace",
cerebras: "Cerebras",
```

---

### Step 4: Update OpenAPI Specification (`docs/openapi/openapi.json`)

Add your provider to the API documentation's provider enum:

```json
{
    "type": "string",
    "enum": [
        "openai",
        "anthropic",
        "azure",
        "bedrock",
        // ... other providers
        "[providername]"
    ],
    "description": "AI model provider",
    "example": "openai"
}
```

**Location**: Search for the `"AI model provider"` description in `docs/openapi/openapi.json` and add your provider to the enum array.

---

### Step 5: Update Configuration Schema (`transports/config.schema.json`)

#### a. Add Provider to Providers Object

```json
{
    "providers": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
            "openai": { "$ref": "#/$defs/provider" },
            "anthropic": { "$ref": "#/$defs/provider" },
            // ... other providers
            "[providername]": { "$ref": "#/$defs/provider" }
        }
    }
}
```

#### b. Add to Fallback Provider Enum

```json
{
    "fallbacks": {
        "items": {
            "properties": {
                "provider": {
                    "type": "string",
                    "enum": [
                        "openai",
                        "anthropic",
                        // ... other providers
                        "[providername]"
                    ]
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```

**Location**: Search for `"fallbacks"` in `transports/config.schema.json` and add your provider to both locations.

---

### Step 6: Update UI README (`ui/README.md`)

Add your provider to the list of supported providers:

```markdown
## Provider Configuration

Manage all your AI providers from a unified interface:

- **Supported Providers**: OpenAI, Azure, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Cohere, 
  Google Vertex AI, Mistral, Ollama, Parasail, Elevenlabs, SGLang, Cerebras, 
  Groq, Gemini, OpenRouter, ProviderName
```

**Example**:
```markdown
- **Supported Providers**: OpenAI, Azure, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, Cohere, 
  Google Vertex AI, Mistral, Ollama, Parasail, Elevenlabs, SGLang, Cerebras, 
  Groq, Gemini, OpenRouter, HuggingFace
```

---

### Step 7: Register Provider in Core (`core/bifrost.go`)

#### a. Add Provider Import

```go
import (
    // ... existing imports
    "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/providers/[providername]"
)
```

#### b. Add Case to createBaseProvider

```go
func (bifrost *Bifrost) createBaseProvider(providerKey schemas.ModelProvider, config *schemas.ProviderConfig) (schemas.Provider, error) {
    // ... existing cases
    
    case schemas.ProviderName:
        return providername.NewProviderNameProvider(config, bifrost.logger), nil
    
    default:
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported provider: %s", targetProviderKey)
}
```

**For OpenAI-compatible providers** (returns error):
```go
case schemas.ProviderName:
    return providername.NewProviderNameProvider(config, bifrost.logger)
```

**For non-OpenAI-compatible providers** (no error):
```go
case schemas.ProviderName:
    return providername.NewProviderNameProvider(config, bifrost.logger), nil
```

---

### Step 8: Add CI/CD Environment Variables

Add your provider's API key to all GitHub Actions workflow files that run tests.

#### Files to Update:

1. **`.github/workflows/pr-tests.yml`**
2. **`.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml`** (multiple jobs)

#### Changes Required:

Add the environment variable to the `env:` section:

```yaml
env:
    OPENAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OPENAI_API_KEY }}
    ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    # ... other API keys
    PROVIDER_NAME_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.PROVIDER_NAME_API_KEY }}
```

**Example from pr-tests.yml**:
```yaml
env:
    OPENAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OPENAI_API_KEY }}
    ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
    AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY }}
    HUGGING_FACE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.HUGGING_FACE_API_KEY }}
```

**Locations in release-pipeline.yml**:
- `core-release` job
- `framework-release` job
- `plugins-release` job
- `bifrost-http-release` job

**Note**: Repository maintainers need to add the actual secret value in GitHub repository settings under `Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions`.

---

### UI Integration Checklist

Before submitting your PR, verify all UI changes:

- ✅ Model placeholder added to `ui/lib/constants/config.ts`
- ✅ Key requirement set in `ui/lib/constants/config.ts`
- ✅ Provider icon added to `ui/lib/constants/icons.tsx`
- ✅ Provider name added to `ui/lib/constants/logs.ts` (KnownProvidersNames)
- ✅ Provider label added to `ui/lib/constants/logs.ts` (ProviderLabels)
- ✅ Provider added to OpenAPI spec enum (`docs/openapi/openapi.json`)
- ✅ Provider added to config schema (`transports/config.schema.json`) - 2 locations
- ✅ Provider listed in UI README (`ui/README.md`)
- ✅ Provider import added to `core/bifrost.go`
- ✅ Provider case added to `createBaseProvider` in `core/bifrost.go`
- ✅ Environment variable added to `.github/workflows/pr-tests.yml`
- ✅ Environment variable added to `.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml` (4 jobs)

---

## Creating Provider Documentation

**MANDATORY**: Every new provider must have comprehensive documentation in the docs directory. This documentation helps users understand how the provider works, what parameters it supports, and any special considerations.

---

### Documentation File Location

Create a new MDX file at: `docs/providers/supported-providers/[provider_name].mdx`

**Example**: For a provider named "example", create: `docs/providers/supported-providers/example.mdx`

---

### Documentation Structure

Your provider documentation should follow this structure for consistency. **Reference complete examples**:
- **Groq**: `docs/providers/supported-providers/groq.mdx` (OpenAI-compatible provider)
- **Bedrock**: `docs/providers/supported-providers/bedrock.mdx` (Custom API provider with multiple features)
- **Cerebras**: `docs/providers/supported-providers/cerebras.mdx` (OpenAI-compatible, simple)
- **Mistral**: `docs/providers/supported-providers/mistral.mdx` (Transcription + chat support)
- **Ollama**: `docs/providers/supported-providers/ollama.mdx` (Local-first infrastructure)

### Required Sections

#### 1. Front Matter (Frontmatter)

```yaml
---
title: "[Provider Full Name]"
description: "[Brief description] - parameter mapping, [key features], and [auth method]"
icon: "[icon letter or emoji]"
---
```

**Example**:
```yaml
---
title: "Groq"
description: "Groq API conversion guide - OpenAI-compatible format, parameter handling, text completion fallback, streaming, and tool support"
icon: "g"
---
```

#### 2. Overview Section

Start with a brief overview explaining:
- What the provider is and its key characteristics
- How Bifrost converts requests to/from this provider's format
- List of major transformation features

**Template**:
```markdown
## Overview

[Provider Name] is a **[type: OpenAI-compatible/custom API/local-first]** provider offering [key features]. Bifrost converts requests to [Provider]'s expected format with [specific features]. Key characteristics:
- **[Feature 1]** - brief description
- **[Feature 2]** - brief description
- **[Feature 3]** - brief description
```

#### 3. Supported Operations Table

Create a table showing which operations are supported:

```markdown
### Supported Operations

| Operation | Non-Streaming | Streaming | Endpoint | Notes |
|-----------|---------------|-----------|----------|-------|
| Chat Completions | ✅ | ✅ | `/v1/chat/completions` | |
| Text Completions | ❌ | ❌ | Not supported | |
| Embeddings | ✅ | ❌ | `/v1/embeddings` | |
| List Models | ✅ | ❌ | `/v1/models` | |
```

#### 4. Feature Sections (One per Supported Feature)

For each major feature (Chat Completions, Embeddings, etc.):

##### a. Request Parameters
```markdown
## Request Parameters

### Parameter Mapping

| Parameter | Transformation | Notes |
|-----------|----------------|-------|
| `max_completion_tokens` | Direct pass-through | Minimum X tokens |
| `temperature` | Renamed to `temp` | Provider-specific name |
```

Include:
- OpenAI parameter name
- How it's transformed for the provider (renamed, dropped, etc.)
- Any special notes or constraints

##### b. Filtered/Dropped Parameters
```markdown
### Filtered Parameters

Removed for [Provider] compatibility:
- `prompt_cache_key` - Not supported
- `store` - Not supported
```

##### c. Special Features
```markdown
### [Feature Name]

Document any provider-specific features like:
- Reasoning/thinking support
- Special authentication
- Unique parameters
- Format conversions
```

##### d. Message Conversion
```markdown
## Message Conversion

Content types supported:
- ✅ Text content
- ✅ Images (URL and base64)
- ❌ Audio input
```

##### e. Response Conversion
```markdown
## Response Conversion

Field mapping from provider format back to Bifrost standard.
```

#### 5. Streaming Section (If Supported)

```markdown
## Streaming

[Provider] uses **[protocol: SSE/WebSocket/custom]** streaming with:
- Request configuration: stream: true
- Event format: [description]
- End marker: [description]
```

#### 6. Authentication Section

```markdown
## Authentication

**[Authentication Type]:**

```
Authorization: [format]
```

[Additional details about key management, etc.]
```

#### 7. Configuration Section

```markdown
## Configuration

**HTTP Settings:**
- **Base URL**: `[default URL]` (default)
- **API Version**: [version info]
- **Max Connections**: 5000 per host
- **Idle Timeout**: 60 seconds
```

#### 8. Caveats/Important Notes

Use collapsible accordion sections for limitations:

```markdown
## Caveats

<Accordion title="[Caveat Title]">
**Severity**: [High/Medium/Low]
**Behavior**: [What happens]
**Impact**: [What breaks/changes]
**Code**: [File references if relevant]
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="[Another Caveat]">
...
</Accordion>
```

Common caveats to document:
- Unsupported content types (images, audio, etc.)
- Parameter limitations
- Streaming restrictions
- Special handling required
- Breaking behavioral differences from OpenAI standard

#### 9. Warnings/Notes

Use special callouts for important information:

```markdown
<Warning>
**Unsupported Operations**: [List operations], [List operations].
</Warning>

<Note>
[Provider] requires [special setup/configuration].
</Note>

<Tip>
[Helpful tip for using this provider effectively].
</Tip>
```

### Code Examples in Documentation

Include examples in both formats where applicable:

```markdown
&lt;Tabs&gt;
&lt;Tab title="Gateway"&gt;

`````bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "[provider]/[model]",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
  }'
`````
&lt;/Tab&gt;
&lt;Tab title="Go SDK"&gt;

`````go
response, err := client.ChatCompletion(ctx, &schemas.BifrostChatRequest{
    Provider: schemas.ProviderName,
    Model:    "model-name",
    Input:    messages,
})
`````

&lt;/Tab&gt;
&lt;/Tabs&gt;
```

### Documentation Formatting Standards

- **Markdown**: Use standard MDX syntax compatible with the documentation site
- **Code blocks**: Always specify language (bash, go, json, yaml)
- **Tables**: Use pipes for alignment and clarity
- **Sections**: Use H1 (#) for main provider, H2 (##) for major sections, H3 (###) for subsections
- **Lists**: Use bullets (-) for unordered, numbers (1.) for ordered
- **Emphasis**: Use **bold** for important terms, `code` for inline code

### Documentation Checklist

Before submitting your documentation:

- ✅ File created: `docs/providers/supported-providers/[provider_name].mdx`
- ✅ Front matter with title, description, and icon
- ✅ Overview section explaining the provider
- ✅ Supported Operations table (accurate for your implementation)
- ✅ Parameter mapping documented for each supported feature
- ✅ Filtered parameters listed
- ✅ Message conversion explained (content types)
- ✅ Tool/function support documented (if applicable)
- ✅ Response conversion patterns explained
- ✅ Streaming behavior documented (if supported)
- ✅ Authentication method clearly explained
- ✅ Configuration section with base URL and settings
- ✅ Caveats documented with severity ratings
- ✅ Code examples for Gateway and Go SDK (where applicable)
- ✅ All special features explained
- ✅ Links to reference existing implementations (if applicable)
- ✅ Warnings for unsupported features

---

## Adding Automated Tests

Testing is **MANDATORY** for all providers. Tests ensure your provider works correctly and continues to work as the codebase evolves.

---

### Test File Structure

Create `core/providers/[provider_name]/[provider_name]_test.go`:

**Example Test File Structure**:

```go
package providername_test

import (
    "os"
    "testing"

    "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/internal/llmtests"
    "github.com/maximhq/bifrost/core/schemas"
)

func TestProviderName(t *testing.T) {
    t.Parallel()
    
    // Check for API key - skip if not available
    if os.Getenv("PROVIDER_API_KEY") == "" {
        t.Skip("Skipping tests because PROVIDER_API_KEY is not set")
    }

    // Initialize test client
    client, ctx, cancel, err := llmtests.SetupTest()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("Error initializing test setup: %v", err)
    }
    defer cancel()

    // Configure test scenarios
    testConfig := llmtests.ComprehensiveTestConfig{
        Provider:  schemas.ProviderName,
        ChatModel: "model-name",
        Fallbacks: []schemas.Fallback{
            {Provider: schemas.ProviderName, Model: "fallback-model"},
        },
        Scenarios: llmtests.TestScenarios{
            SimpleChat:            true,
            CompletionStream:      true,
            ToolCalls:             true,
            TextCompletion:        false,  // Not supported
            Embedding:             false,  // Not supported
            ListModels:            true,
            // ... configure based on provider capabilities
        },
    }

    // Run all tests
    t.Run("ProviderNameTests", func(t *testing.T) {
        llmtests.RunAllComprehensiveTests(t, client, ctx, testConfig)
    })
    
    client.Shutdown()
}
```

---

### Test Configuration Requirements

**Environment Variables**:
- **REQUIRED**: `[PROVIDER_NAME]_API_KEY` - API key for the provider
- **Optional**: `PROVIDER_BASE_URL` - Custom base URL for testing

**Example**:
```bash
export CEREBRAS_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
export HUGGING_FACE_API_KEY="your-hf-token-here"
```

**Package Declaration**:
- Use `package [provider_name]_test` (note the `_test` suffix)
- This ensures tests don't access unexported functions (tests external behavior)

<Tip>See complete test examples in `core/providers/cerebras/cerebras_test.go`, `core/providers/huggingface/huggingface_test.go`, or other existing providers.</Tip>

---

### Test Scenarios Configuration

The `llmtests.TestScenarios` struct defines which tests to run. Set each field based on provider capabilities:

#### Core Test Scenarios

| Scenario | Enable if... |
|----------|-------------|
| `SimpleChat` | Provider supports basic chat completion |
| `CompletionStream` | Provider supports streaming chat |
| `TextCompletion` | Provider supports text completions (legacy) |
| `TextCompletionStream` | Provider supports streaming text completions |
| `ToolCalls` | Provider supports function/tool calling |
| `ToolCallsStreaming` | Provider supports streaming with tool calls |
| `Embedding` | Provider supports text embeddings |
| `ListModels` | Provider has a list models endpoint |
| `ImageURL` | Provider accepts image URLs in messages |
| `ImageBase64` | Provider accepts base64-encoded images |

<Tip>For a complete list of all available test scenarios and their descriptions, check the `llmtests.TestScenarios` struct in `core/internal/llmtests/`.</Tip>

---

### Model Configuration

**ChatModel** (REQUIRED if any chat scenario is enabled):
```go
ChatModel: "llama-3.3-70b",    // Primary model for chat tests
```

**TextModel** (REQUIRED if any text completion scenario is enabled):
```go
TextModel: "llama3.1-8b",      // Model for text completion tests
```

**EmbeddingModel** (REQUIRED if Embedding scenario is enabled):
```go
EmbeddingModel: "text-embedding-ada-002",  // Model for embedding tests
```

**Fallbacks** (OPTIONAL but recommended):
```go
Fallbacks: []schemas.Fallback{
    {Provider: schemas.Cerebras, Model: "llama3.1-8b"},
    {Provider: schemas.Cerebras, Model: "gpt-oss-120b"},
},
```
- Fallbacks are tested if primary model fails
- Tests that fallback mechanism works correctly

---

### Running Tests

**Run all tests for your provider**:
```bash
cd core/providers/[provider_name]
go test -v
```

**Run with API key**:
```bash
PROVIDER_API_KEY="your-key" go test -v
```

**Run specific test**:
```bash
go test -v -run TestProviderName
```

**Run with timeout** (for slow providers):
```bash
go test -v -timeout 5m
```

**Skip integration tests** (if API key not set):
```bash
go test -v -short
```

---

### Test Checklist

Before submitting your provider, ensure:

- ✅ Test file named `[provider_name]_test.go`
- ✅ Package is `[provider_name]_test`
- ✅ `t.Parallel()` called at start
- ✅ API key check with `t.Skip()` if not available
- ✅ All supported scenarios enabled in config
- ✅ All unsupported scenarios disabled (set to `false`)
- ✅ Appropriate models specified (ChatModel, TextModel, EmbeddingModel)
- ✅ Fallback models configured (at least 1-2)
- ✅ `client.Shutdown()` called at end
- ✅ Tests pass locally with valid API key
- ✅ Tests skip gracefully without API key

---

### Common Test Failures and Solutions

**Test hangs indefinitely**:
- **Solution**: Add timeout: `go test -v -timeout 2m`
- **Cause**: Provider not responding or network issue

**"API key not set" skip message**:
- **Solution**: Export the required environment variable
- **Not a failure**: Tests correctly skip when credentials unavailable

**"Unsupported feature" errors**:
- **Solution**: Set the scenario to `false` in `TestScenarios`
- **Cause**: Test trying to run unsupported feature

**"Model not found" errors**:
- **Solution**: Update ChatModel/TextModel to valid model for provider
- **Cause**: Model name incorrect or not available

**Streaming tests fail but non-streaming pass**:
- **Solution**: Check streaming implementation in provider
- **Cause**: SSE parsing error or incorrect stream handling

**Tool calling tests fail**:
- **Solution**: Verify tool/function conversion in `chat.go`
- **Cause**: Tool format doesn't match provider's expected structure

---

### CI/CD Integration

After your tests pass locally, ensure they'll run in the CI/CD pipeline:

#### GitHub Actions Setup

**Required Secret**:
Your provider's API key must be added to GitHub repository secrets by a maintainer:
- Secret name: `PROVIDER_NAME_API_KEY` (uppercase, underscores)
- Example: `HUGGING_FACE_API_KEY`, `CEREBRAS_API_KEY`

**Workflow Files**:
The API key environment variable should already be added if you followed Step 8 in "Adding to UI". Verify it's present in:
- `.github/workflows/pr-tests.yml`
- `.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml` (4 jobs)

**Test Execution**:
Tests will automatically run on:
- Pull requests (PR tests workflow)
- Release builds (release pipeline workflow)
- Manual workflow triggers

**Skipping Tests**:
If the API key secret is not set, your tests will be skipped (not fail) thanks to the `t.Skip()` check in your test file.

---

### Final Pre-Submission Checklist

Before creating a pull request, verify everything is complete:

**Provider Implementation**:
- ✅ Provider code follows file structure conventions
- ✅ All supported features implemented correctly
- ✅ Error handling properly converts to `schemas.BifrostError`
- ✅ OpenAI handlers used if provider is compatible
- ✅ Code is well-commented and documented

**Tests**:
- ✅ Test file created: `[provider_name]_test.go`
- ✅ All supported scenarios enabled
- ✅ All unsupported scenarios disabled
- ✅ Tests pass locally with valid API key
- ✅ Tests skip gracefully without API key
- ✅ Appropriate models configured

**Schema & Core**:
- ✅ Provider added to `core/schemas/bifrost.go` (ModelProvider type + arrays)
- ✅ Provider registered in `core/bifrost.go` (import + case)

**UI Integration**:
- ✅ All 7 UI files updated (config.ts, icons.tsx, logs.ts, etc.)
- ✅ Provider icon looks good and is recognizable
- ✅ Model placeholders are helpful examples

**CI/CD**:
- ✅ Environment variables added to workflow files
- ✅ API key secret name follows convention

**Documentation**:
- ✅ Provider-specific parameters documented (if any)
- ✅ Example usage added (optional but helpful)
- ✅ Any special setup instructions noted

---