August 19, 2025 By Matthew Revell

Choose your model

GPT-5 is here and it’s now available in Beekeeper Studio’s AI Shell. That means faster, more accurate SQL suggestions with stronger context awareness and less noise.

But GPT-5 isn’t the only option. AI Shell now supports Claude Opus 4.1, Gemini 2.5 Pro, local models via Ollama, and any other model that speaks the OpenAI API. In short: you choose the model that best fits your workflow.

Beekeeper Studio AI Shell now supports GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, and local models

What’s new in AI Shell

This update unlocks a few important things:

  • Use GPT-5 for faster, more accurate SQL suggestions: Especially helpful for structured, code-heavy tasks.
  • 🔁 Switch between Claude, Gemini, local models, or others: Choose based on what matters most: speed, cost, quality, or privacy.
  • ⚙️ Manage everything from the new AI Shell config screen: Keep your models and settings in one place.

A reminder of what AI Shell does

If you haven’t tried AI Shell yet, here’s a quick refresher:

  • 💬 Ask in plain English: AI Shell generates SQL queries based on your database schema.
  • 🧠 Context-aware suggestions: Your schema and query results are passed into the LLM for better, more relevant queries.
  • 🔐 Privacy-first by design: You connect your own LLM key; Beekeeper Studio never proxies, stores, or tracks your data.
  • 💸 No hidden fees: AI Shell is included with paid plans. The only charges are your LLM’s standard API costs.
  • 🧪 You stay in controlL Nothing runs until you review and approve it.

How to get started

If you’re already on a paid plan, just update the AI Shell plugin (Tools → Manage Plugins → Update) and the new models — including GPT-5 — will be ready to go.

New to Beekeeper Studio? Download it today to start your free trial.

Beekeeper Studio is fast, open source, and cross-platform, with support for Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, and more. And now, with a schema-aware AI pair programmer built in.