What Is an API Key? How to Use AI API Keys on Mac
An API key is a unique string of characters that authenticates your requests to an AI service. When you use tools like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini, your API key proves your identity and tracks your usage for billing.
Explanation
Think of an API key as a password for a specific service. When Echoo sends your text to an AI provider for processing, it includes your API key so the provider knows who's making the request and charges the right account.
API keys should be kept secret - anyone with your key can make requests on your account. That's why secure storage matters. Never share API keys in emails, code repositories, or screenshots.
Most AI providers offer tiered pricing: you pay per token (roughly per word) processed. Google Gemini offers a generous free tier, making it a popular starting point.
How Echoo Helps
Echoo stores your API keys in Apple Keychain, the most secure storage on macOS. Your keys never leave your device and are encrypted at rest. Echoo supports keys from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, Mistral, DeepSeek, and OpenRouter.
Related Terms
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) is a model where an AI tool lets you use your own API key from an AI provider rather than routing your data through the tool's servers. This gives you direct control over privacy, costs, and model selection.
AI Text Transformation
AI text transformation is the process of using artificial intelligence models to modify, improve, or convert text. This includes grammar correction, translation, summarization, tone adjustment, and rewriting.
Context Window
A context window is the maximum amount of text an AI model can process in a single request, measured in tokens. Tokens are roughly equivalent to words (1 token ≈ 0.75 words). Larger context windows allow processing longer documents.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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