How to Get Your OpenAI API Key

Before you start

You'll need:

1. An OpenAI account (separate from your ChatGPT account, sign up at the same link in Step 1 if you do not have one)
2. A credit or debit card for the prepaid credits in Step 3 (most automations cost a fraction of a cent per run)
3. About 5 minutes

1. Go to the OpenAI API Keys page

Open API Keys page →

Log in or create an account. If you land on a page where you can see and manage your keys, you're in the right place.

No OpenAI account yet? This is separate from ChatGPT. You'll need to create a free account at that link first, then come back and click Create new secret key.

2. Create a new key

Click Create new secret key. Give it a name that says what it's for, like Website chat. Leave Permissions set to All. Copy the key before closing the window. OpenAI only shows it once.

Closed the window before copying? Just delete that key and create a new one. Takes 30 seconds.

3. Buy credits

API usage is prepaid: you buy credits up front, and your key will not work until there are credits on the account. For most automations, the cost is a fraction of a cent per run.

Open Billing settings →

1. Click Add payment details and enter your card.
2. Choose your first credit purchase. The minimum is $5 and $10 is more than enough for most use cases.
3. Before you confirm, look at Use auto-reload. OpenAI turns it on by default. Switch it off if you want a hard ceiling on what you spend.
4. Confirm the purchase. Your balance can take a few minutes to show up.

Verify it worked

Paste your key into whatever tool you are connecting (Zapier, Make, a custom worker). Most tools show a green "Connected" indicator within a few seconds. You can also confirm by coming back to the API keys page. Within about a minute of the key being used for the first time, the row will show "Last used" with today's date.

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