---
title: "Ask Penny"
description: "Ask Penny questions about your synced financial data in plain language, get insight charts inline, and let Penny build dashboards and configure feeds for you."
section: "Ask Penny"
canonical: "https://banksync.io/docs/ask-penny/ask-penny"
---

**Ask Penny** is the in-app assistant that answers questions about your
workspace's data, renders charts and KPIs inline in the chat, and can drive the
app for you, building dashboards and helping configure feeds. Open Penny from the
top header; she docks to either edge and coexists with
whatever you already have open.

[![Ask Penny walkthrough](https://cdn.banksync.io/videos/ai-copilot.poster.ae9bfd85d637641f.png)](https://cdn.banksync.io/videos/ai-copilot.85a80d75c4cd2480.mp4)

[Watch: Ask Penny walkthrough](https://cdn.banksync.io/videos/ai-copilot.85a80d75c4cd2480.mp4)

> **Plan availability:** Ask Penny is included on Standard plans and above. On Free and Starter plans you'll see an upgrade prompt that routes you to the cheapest plan that unlocks her.

## Asking questions

Type a question in plain language, for example "What did I spend at restaurants
last month?" or "Why is one of my feeds empty?". Penny reads your
workspace's connected banks, feeds, and dashboards to answer, and the response
streams in token-by-token with any tool activity (like reading transactions)
shown as it runs.

Your conversations are saved per workspace and are private to you. You can
rename or delete any conversation from the thread list, and start a new one at
any time. If you stop a response mid-stream or navigate away, the turn ends
cleanly and the partial answer is saved.

## Insight widgets

When you ask for an insight, Penny doesn't just describe it. She renders a real
chart, KPI, or table inline in the chat, built from your data.

- **Rendered inline** — Charts and KPIs appear directly in the conversation, not as a description you have to recreate.
- **Add to a dashboard** — Keep any proposed insight with one click. It's added to a dashboard so you can return to it
  later.

## Choosing a model

By default Penny is set to **Auto**, which picks a sensible model for each
question. You can also pick a specific model from the composer; each option
shows its relative credit cost so you can trade speed against depth.

## Credits and usage

Ask Penny usage is metered in credits. Each plan includes a monthly allotment, and
you can see your remaining balance and buy more from the credit meter at any
time.

- **Monthly allotment** — Your plan's included credits refresh each month. Use them or lose them.
- **Top-up packs** — Buy a one-time credit pack at any time. Purchased credits never expire and roll over.

If you run out mid-conversation, Penny stops cleanly at a safe point and
prompts you to top up rather than failing partway through an answer.

## Bring your own key (Pro and Business)

On Pro and Business plans you can add your own AI provider API key. When a key is
present, your conversations run on your provider account and cost **zero**
BankSync credits.

> **Your key stays private:** Your provider key is encrypted at rest and never leaves BankSync's servers. You only ever see the last four characters. If a stored key is rejected (for example, you rotated it at your provider), Penny shows a clear prompt to re-enter it, and the turn is never silently charged credits.

You can add or remove a key at any time from the key settings (the key icon in
Ask Penny).

## Confirmation before changes

When you ask Penny to take an action that changes something, she asks you
to confirm first, so nothing happens to your workspace without your say-so.