> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tinfoil.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting a Tinfoil API key

> Step-by-step guide for generating a Tinfoil API key

### Step 1: Navigate to Homepage

Start by visiting [https://tinfoil.sh/](https://tinfoil.sh/) and click the **"Get Started"** button in the top right corner.

### Step 2: Log In or Sign Up

Create an account with your email or one of the social connections. If you already have an account, click **"Sign in"** instead.

### Step 3: Access Your Dashboard

Once logged in, click the **"Dashboard"** button in the top right corner. The dashboard opens on the **Home** page.

### Step 4: Open API Keys

Select **"API keys"** in the sidebar. API access is enabled automatically, so there is nothing to activate and no payment method is required to get started.

### Step 5: Copy Your Default API Key

If your account has no API keys yet, opening **API keys** creates a **"Default API key"** and shows it in a **"You're all set!"** dialog. Click the **eye** button to reveal the key or the **copy** button to copy it. You can also copy the setup prompt to hand to an AI coding agent. Click **"View API keys"** to close the dialog and see your keys.

### Step 6: Create Additional API Keys

Select **"API keys"** in the sidebar and click **"Create API key"**. Enter a name, then optionally set an expiration, token limits, or a spend limit. Key limits count the key's lifetime usage and never reset. Click **"Create API key"** to finish.

> [!TIP]
>
> Use descriptive names like "Production", "Development", or "Mobile App" to easily identify your keys later.

### Step 7: Copy Your API Key

Your new API key appears in the list. Hover over the key and click the **copy** button to copy it, or the **eye** button to reveal the full key. Use **"Edit"** to rename a key or change its limits, and **"Delete"** to revoke it.

### Step 8: Manage Billing

Select **"Billing"** in the sidebar to check your credit balance, view your current spend, manage subscriptions and payment methods, redeem promo codes, and review transactions. Buy credits or turn on **Auto-reload** from the **Credits and limits** section to keep API access. The **Credits and limits** section also lets you set a usage limit that pauses API access for every key once spending in the current billing period reaches it. A key's own spend limit does not lift this pause; raise the usage limit instead. The limit is checked against completed requests, so requests already in progress finish and are billed; see [How usage is recorded](https://docs.tinfoil.sh/admin/admin-api.md#how-usage-is-recorded).


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