API keys and base URL

Create the key in the Dashboard at ailoot.ai after signing up. It has the format sk-…. You can create several keys: one for your work computer, one for your server, and one for each application. This makes it easier to revoke one without affecting the others.

You can set a total spending limit, expiry, IP allowlists and blocklists, and spending limits for 5-hour, 1-day, and 7-day windows. If a restriction is triggered, you receive a clear error: api_key_quota_exhausted (total limit exhausted), usage_limit_reached (the key’s spending window is exhausted; wait for the window to reset or increase the limit), api_key_expired or permission_denied (for example, the request came from an IP that is not allowed).

The main rule: OpenAI-compatible clients use a URL with /v1; Anthropic and Gemini use one without it.

Ailoot accepts the key in any of these three headers; whichever your SDK sends will work:

On paths /v1/… a key in the URL (?key= or ?api_key=) is not accepted: the request receives 400 with the code invalid_request and a message stating that the key was sent in the URL. This keeps the key out of logs and browser history. If you have already used the key in a URL, it is best to create a new one.

On Gemini paths /v1beta/… for compatibility with Google, the API accepts ?key= with the lowest priority, after headers. ?api_key= is also rejected with 400 on these paths. It is still more reliable to send the key in the header x-goog-api-key.

You can create one variable and use it in the settings of different applications:

# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export AILOOT_API_KEY="sk-..."

# for applications that read the standard names
export OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.ailoot.ai/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="$AILOOT_API_KEY"
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.ailoot.ai"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="$AILOOT_API_KEY"

setx AILOOT_API_KEY "sk-..."

# for applications that read the standard names
setx OPENAI_BASE_URL "https://api.ailoot.ai/v1"
setx OPENAI_API_KEY "sk-..."
setx ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL "https://api.ailoot.ai"
setx ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN "sk-..."
# restart the terminal so the variables take effect

The least expensive way to check a key is to request the model list: it is free.

curl -s https://api.ailoot.ai/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AILOOT_API_KEY"