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When you use your own API key, most errors come from your AI provider’s account, not from Elephas: a key it refuses, an empty balance, or a plan too small for the question. Find your message below for the cause and the fix.
Your own API key works in Personal workspaces, during a free trial or with a paid plan. Team workspaces use Elephas AI or Local AI and do not accept personal keys.

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Before you start

  • Open Settings › AI. Under How Elephas answers, check that My own AI account is selected and which provider is marked In use.
  • Keep your provider’s website open in another tab. Most fixes happen in your account there: keys, billing and plan limits.
  • With your own key, your question and the matching passages go straight to your provider, and the provider’s API terms apply. See what data is sent to AI.

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Messages when you ask a question

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Plan and sign-in messages

Your own key is included with an Elephas trial or plan, so Elephas checks your plan before it sends a question with your key.

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Messages in Settings › AI

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Steps

1

Open your provider's dashboard

Check that the key exists, is active, and that your account has credit or billing set up.
2

Replace the key in Elephas

Open Settings › AI, select your provider, click Replace Key, paste the new key and click Save Key. Wait for Your key works.
3

Pick a model again

Under Choose a model, pick a model. Elephas shows Ready next to it when it can be used.
4

Ask again

Go back to Ask and repeat your question.
The steps are the same on Mac and Windows.

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How it works

With your own key, Elephas sends your question and the passages it found in your documents directly to the provider you chose. Elephas is not in between, and your provider bills you for that use. That is why provider limits, balances and retired models show up as errors in Elephas: Elephas reports what the provider said, in plain words. Your key is saved in Keychain on Mac or Credential Manager on Windows, never in a settings file or the log. For a custom endpoint, Elephas also checks once that the model can use the tools it needs. Click Test Connection in Settings when Elephas asks you to. See custom API endpoint.

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Troubleshooting

Check that you saved it under the right provider, and that the model you picked is included in your provider plan. Some providers give new keys access to fewer models until you add billing.
Switch to Elephas AI, which is included with your plan, or to Local AI, which runs on your computer. See choose how Elephas answers.
Team workspaces do not use personal keys. Your Team Owner’s AI policy decides which options are allowed. See team troubleshooting.

Use your own API key

Custom API endpoint

Elephas AI

What data is sent to AI