Use your own API key

Kaviar is free and protects your messages without limits. The AI that answers you is paid for in one of three ways: with Kaviar credits (one button, every AI), with your own key from a provider (this guide), or through OpenRouter, a third-party service. A key is a long password the provider gives you: Kaviar uses it to send your redacted messages straight to the provider, and you pay them at cost, with no commission.

Google (Gemini)Free, recommended

Google offers a free tier on its Gemini models, with no credit card. It is the simplest way to use a quality AI in Kaviar without paying anything. The number of free messages per day depends on the model (a few dozen to a few hundred): the details are shown in your AI Studio account.

1. Open aistudio.google.com/apikey and sign in with a Google account.
2. Click Create API key (create a project if asked, any name works).
3. Copy the key (it starts with AIza).
4. In Kaviar: Settings → AI → Google (Gemini), paste the key. The “Gemini (your key)” models appear in the selector.

OpenAI (ChatGPT)Paid, at cost

To use GPT with your own OpenAI account. You pay OpenAI directly at list price, with no Kaviar commission.

1. Open platform.openai.com/api-keys and sign in (a ChatGPT account is not enough: you need a free “Platform” account).
2. Add a payment method under Billing and deposit a small amount ($5 covers hundreds of messages).
3. Click Create new secret key, copy the key (sk-…). It will not be shown again.
4. In Kaviar: Settings → AI → OpenAI, paste the key.

Anthropic (Claude)Paid, at cost

To use Claude with your own Anthropic account, at list price.

1. Open console.anthropic.com and create an account.
2. Under Billing, add a payment method and a small credit ($5).
3. Under API Keys, click Create Key, copy the key (sk-ant-…).
4. In Kaviar: Settings → AI → Anthropic, paste the key.

MistralPaid, trial tier available

The French AI. Mistral offers a (limited) free experimentation tier, then pay-as-you-go billing.

1. Open console.mistral.ai/api-keys and create an account.
2. Pick a plan (the experimentation plan is free) then click Create new key.
3. Copy the key.
4. In Kaviar: Settings → AI → Mistral, paste the key.

OpenRouterThird-party service, one key for everything

OpenRouter is a service independent from Kaviar: a single key gives access to hundreds of AIs (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, Llama…). Handy if you want to try everything without opening an account with each provider. You pay OpenRouter, which takes a small fee on each message.

1. Open openrouter.ai and create an account (email or Google, no card).
2. Open openrouter.ai/keys, click Create key, copy the key (sk-or-…).
3. In Kaviar: Settings → AI → OpenRouter, paste the key. The whole catalog unlocks.
4. Optional: deposit $10 under Credits. Without a deposit, OpenRouter’s few free AIs are limited to 50 messages a day; with a $10 balance, 1,000 a day, and paid AIs are billed against that balance.

Where to paste the key in Kaviar

Open Settings (gear icon at the bottom of the sidebar), AI tab, Your own API keys section. Paste the key into the provider’s field: it is saved immediately. The matching AIs appear in the selector, marked “(your key)” for Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Mistral.

Where does my key go?

It stays on your device, encrypted in Kaviar’s local storage. It is never sent to our servers. When you write, Kaviar first redacts your sensitive data locally, then calls the provider directly from your machine with your key. If you use cross-device sync, the key travels end-to-end encrypted, like everything else.

Good habit: with each provider you can set a monthly spending cap and revoke the key at any time.