There are two ways to use AI with a BrightSite site. They do similar work in different places, and both are included in every BrightSite plan.
- Lumi is built into BrightSite. You open a chat panel inside the app and ask for what you want.
- An external AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, or any other tool that supports MCP) connects to your BrightSite account from outside and works on your site from there. BrightSite is listed in Claude's connector directory, so connecting Claude takes a few clicks.
You can use both. Many people use Lumi for quick edits while they are already in the app, and an external tool for larger jobs.
Side by side
| Lumi | External AI tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | In the BrightSite app, in a chat panel or full-page chat | In your own AI tool |
| Setup | None | Connect the tool to BrightSite once, a few clicks for ChatGPT and Claude |
| Who pays | Included in your BrightSite plan | Your own Claude, ChatGPT or other AI plan. The BrightSite side is free on every plan. |
| Good for | Quick edits, questions about your site, drafts | Bulk work, migrations, scripted or repeated jobs |
| Files on your computer | No access | Can work with local files, if your tool can |
Who pays
Lumi is included in your plan. Every plan (Launch, Grow and Scale) includes Lumi at no extra cost. There are no credits to buy, no balance to top up and no API key to set up. BrightSite reviews unusually heavy use rather than cutting it off.
An external AI tool runs on your own AI plan. When ChatGPT, Claude or Codex works on your site, the thinking is done by that tool and covered by whatever plan you have with its provider. Connecting a tool is available on every BrightSite plan, and BrightSite charges nothing for those requests.
Which to use
Use Lumi when you are already in the app, the change is small, and you want it done without switching context. Writing a draft, tidying a paragraph, asking what a setting does.
Use an external tool when the job is large or repetitive, such as importing a blog from another platform, generating dozens of similar pages, auditing every page for a missing description, or building a redirect map. External tools also suit anyone who would rather stay in the assistant they already use all day, and agencies running the same job across many client sites.
What is the same either way
Both routes work through the same permissions. Your role in the organization decides what the AI can do on your behalf: someone who cannot publish cannot get an AI to publish for them. Both routes leave entries in the activity log, and both produce content you should review before it goes live.
Neither route publishes without a person deciding to. Publishing stays a human step.