Connect and manage API keys
Updated
A saved API key is a starting point. Your next step is checking that it works for the tool and client you intend to use.
LLMIC’s API Connections panel keeps supported credentials in one place. This guide shows you how to choose their scope, test access and avoid mixing up provider keys.
Core crawling does not require an AI key. Optional providers may charge separately.
Which credential will the tool use?
- Choose the signed-in account
Account identity separates saved credentials. - Check the active client
Some integrations use a client-specific key. - Check the fallback
Where supported, a fallback is used if the client has no key. - Test the saved connection
Provider permission and quota still apply.
AI keys are shared within the signed-in account. Client scoping applies to supported integrations.
1. Open API Connections
Open Settings and find API Connections in Integrations. The panel lists supported services and whether a key is saved.
Choose the provider you intend to use, paste the credential into its own field and save it. Do not reuse unrelated tokens merely because their text looks similar.
Google service-account JSON and a simple provider API key are different credential formats.
2. Match the key to the right scope
Read the scope shown in the panel before editing. AI keys are shared across the signed-in account’s app workspace, while Google, SerpAPI and Radar can use the active client.
An app-wide fallback can be used where that client has no saved credential. Account-wide does not mean shared across every signed-in identity on the Mac; account isolation is a separate boundary.
3. Test access before running a larger task
Use Test saved connection where it is available. The app notes that tests make provider requests and may consume quota.
Test using the active client scope when you want to confirm the credential that a client’s tools will use. If the test fails, check provider permissions, account billing, model access and quotas.
Repeatedly saving the same key will not repair missing permissions.
4. Review the model and budget
For supported AI recommendations, connect the provider you intend to use, such as OpenAI, Gemini or Claude. Review AI models & budgets where available before generating larger batches.
Provider pricing and model availability can change, and a key working for one operation does not establish access to every model. Review generated suggestions and schema drafts before publishing them on a website.
When to remove or rotate a key
Use the matching Remove key or Remove client key action when a connection is no longer needed. Removing a stored key from LLMIC is different from revoking that key at the provider.
If a secret was exposed, revoke or rotate it through the provider as well. Credentials use macOS Keychain, but you should still avoid including them in exports, screenshots, messages or support requests.
Quick reference
| State or scope | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Key saved | Stored, not necessarily validated |
| Test saved connection | Makes a provider request |
| Active client | Credential associated with that client |
| App-wide fallback | Used when a client has no saved key |
| Remove key | Does not itself revoke the provider credential |
Continue learning
Ready for the next step? Start here: configure Google data sources, understand account separation.
If you still need help, contact support with your app version and the steps you tried. Leave out passwords, API keys and private account details.
Published by LLMIC. Documentation reviewed on 24 September 2026.