FAQ.md

Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to common questions. See also docs/faq.md for more detail.

What is API Keychain?

A unified gateway that routes requests across twelve free-tier LLM providers behind a single ak- key, with effort-based tiers, automatic failover, and OpenAI plus Anthropic client support.

Do I need a key for every provider?

You need at least one upstream provider key for routing to work, but you do not need all twelve. The cascade skips providers you have not configured.

What are effort tiers?

Model	Tier	Use case
keychain-low	Fast	Classification, autocomplete
keychain-medium	Balanced	Everyday chat and agents
keychain-high	Best	Hard reasoning tasks

Each tier tries an ordered list of free models, cascading to lower tiers if needed. Tiers reflect speed vs capability — not cost. Claude pseudo-models (claude-haiku-4-5, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6) map to the same tiers for /v1/messages.

Does Claude Code work?

Yes. Point ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL at your gateway and use your ak- key as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. The gateway speaks Anthropic Messages natively.

Is this a drop-in OpenAI replacement?

For chat completions and model listing, yes — point your OpenAI SDK at the gateway base URL and use your keychain key. Embeddings, images, and fine-tuning are not supported.

Where are my provider keys stored?

Encrypted with AES-256-GCM in the database (SQLite by default). The dashboard never shows decrypted provider keys after storage.

Can I self-host?

Yes. Run the FastAPI gateway and Next.js dashboard yourself. See docs/installation.md.

Is the MIT license free for commercial use?

Yes, subject to the MIT License terms.

How do I report a security issue?

Follow SECURITY.md. Do not open a public issue.

Where do I get help?

See SUPPORT.md.