Fix "AI Service Temporarily Unavailable" in Pluely v1

If Pluely v1 shows a message like "AI service is temporarily unavailable" or a question just never returns an answer, this is a deliberately generic, friendly error message by design — Pluely never surfaces technical provider details to keep things simple and consistent no matter which AI setup you're using underneath. The underlying cause is almost always one of a few common, fixable things.

Why the message is generic

Pluely can answer your questions through Pluely's managed models, your own provider key, or a local AI CLI. Regardless of which one you're using, if something goes wrong, Pluely shows the same friendly, non-technical message rather than surfacing raw provider errors. This is intentional — it keeps the experience consistent and avoids leaking implementation details, but it does mean you'll need to check a few things yourself to narrow down the cause.

1. Check your internet connection

Every path Pluely uses to answer a question — managed models, your own provider, or a CLI reaching out to its own backend — needs a working connection.

1. Confirm other apps can reach the internet normally.
2. If you're on Wi-Fi, check signal strength; if on VPN, try briefly disabling it to rule out interference.
3. Retry your question once connectivity is confirmed stable.

2. Check your usage and plan limits

If you're on Pluely's managed models, your plan has a monthly allowance for AI requests (along with live transcription and file uploads). Once that allowance is used up for the current period, requests will be refused until it resets.

1. Open Settings and look for your usage or plan section.
2. Check whether your AI request allowance for the month has been reached.
3. If so, wait for the monthly reset, upgrade your plan, or switch to your own provider key or a local CLI in the meantime.

See Plans, usage & limits for exact allowances per plan.

3. If you're using your own provider key, check it

When Pluely is configured to use your own AI provider rather than Pluely's managed models, a failure is most often a problem with that key or its configuration, not with Pluely itself.

1. Open Settings and confirm your provider key is entered correctly, with no extra spaces or truncation.
2. Check that key still has an active status and available quota/billing on the provider's own side — Pluely can't see or fix issues with your provider account directly.
3. If you recently rotated or regenerated the key on the provider's side, make sure you've updated it inside Pluely too.

See Choosing your AI for how the different AI setup options work.

4. If you're using a local CLI, confirm it's running

A local AI CLI (such as Claude Code, the Gemini CLI, or Ollama) needs to be properly installed, authenticated, and reachable from Pluely.

1. Confirm the CLI works when run directly outside of Pluely.
2. Check that Pluely's settings point at the correct CLI/command.
3. Restart the CLI process or re-authenticate it if it's been idle a long time.

5. Just try again

Momentary network blips or brief upstream slowness can cause a single failed request without indicating any lasting problem. Wait a few seconds and resend your question before assuming something is misconfigured.

Still stuck?

If answers still fail consistently after confirming your connection, usage limits, and provider/CLI setup, check the FAQ or reach out from the Pluely website with which AI setup (managed, your provider, or a CLI) you're using.