What Is an API Key (and Why It Matters)? 🔑

Simply put: an API key is like the key to the AI model's front door. Chatsundere itself is only the interface — the room where you talk. For the model to "enter" that room, it needs a key that says: "This person is allowed to use me, and the bill goes to them."

That's why Chatsundere asks you for an API key — it's not a subscription to Chatsundere itself, but your personal connection to the model provider.

Important: The key is personal, and everyone must obtain their own — no one from the team or the server can give you a key or create one for you, because it is tied to your account and your payment.

How Does Payment Work? 💰

You pay the provider (NanoGPT, OpenRouter, Ollama, etc.) for actual model usage — not Chatsundere. The cost depends on:

• Which model you use — every model has a different price. Smaller and older models are very cheap; the largest and newest ones cost more
• How much you write and read — you're charged by volume of text (tokens), both for your messages and for the responses

Usually you top up a balance in advance and it is spent gradually. For normal daily use with a reasonable model, the amounts are small — but check the pricing of the model you choose before you start.

The Golden Rule: Do NOT Share It with Anyone ⚠️

An API key is like the PIN of a bank card:

• Anyone who has your key can make requests at your expense
• Don't send it in chats, screenshots, or public channels
• Don't paste it into the chat itself — not even in a conversation with your AI. The key has exactly one correct place: the field in Chatsundere's settings. Your companion doesn't need your key — they are already working thanks to it.
• If you accidentally publish it somewhere — revoke it immediately on the provider's website and generate a new one
• No admin or bot will ever ask for your key. If someone does — it's a scam.

How to Store It 📦

• Save it in a password manager (Bitwarden, KeePass, 1Password) — the safest option
• Or in a private file/note that only you can access
• Not in shared documents, not in public Discord channels
• The key is usually shown only once when created — copy it right away. If you lose it, just generate a new one; no harm done.

Where Do I Get a Key?

NanoGPT 🌐

1. Log in to your account at nano-gpt.com
2. Top up a small balance
3. Go to the API page: https://nano-gpt.com/api
4. Generate a key and copy it
5. Paste it into Chatsundere's settings

It's convenient because one key and one balance give you access to many different models.

OpenRouter 🔀

1. Sign up at openrouter.ai and add credits
2. Go to: https://openrouter.ai/workspaces/default/keys
3. Click New API key — give it a name (e.g. "Chatsundere"). You can leave the expiration and credit limit fields as they are
4. Copy the key immediately and paste it into Chatsundere's settings

OpenRouter also gathers hundreds of models behind a single key. Each model's price is shown directly in the model list.

Ollama Cloud ☁️

1. Log in to your account at ollama.com
2. Go to: https://ollama.com/settings/keys
3. Generate a key and copy it
4. Paste it into Chatsundere's settings

Quick Checklist ✅

• The key is copied and stored somewhere safe
• It is not published anywhere — not in a channel, not in a chat
• It is pasted into Chatsundere's settings
• You have checked the price of the model you'll be using
• If something doesn't work — first check whether your account has balance

---

If you have questions — ask in the server, but without showing your key, not even partially. 💛