AI Provider API Keys

To use AI features in Oplinque, you need an API key from at least one AI provider. This guide walks you through getting API keys from each supported provider.

Supported Providers

OpenAI

OpenAI provides GPT-5.2, GPT-5, and GPT-4.1 models. Strictly required for the Voice Interview (Realtime) feature.

Steps to Get Your API Key

1. Create an Account

   • Go to platform.openai.com
   • Click Sign up or Log in if you have an account

2. Add Payment Method

   • Navigate to Settings → Billing
   • Click Add payment method
   • Enter your credit card details
   • Set a usage limit to control costs (recommended: $10-20/month)

3. Create API Key

   • Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys
   • Click Create new secret key
   • Give it a name like "Oplinque"
   • Important: Copy the key immediately - it will only be shown once!
   • If you lose it, delete and create a new one

4. Add to Oplinque

   • Go to Settings → AI Settings
   • Paste your key in the OpenAI field
   • Click Save

Key Format

sk-proj-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Recommended Models

• GPT-5.2 - Latest flagship, most capable for complex strategy
• GPT-5 Mini - Fast, 400k context window, cost-effective
• GPT-4.1 - Massive 1M+ context window for deep document analysis

Cost Estimates (GPT-5.2)

• Job extraction: ~$0.01
• Resume analysis: ~$0.02 - $0.05
• Cover letter: ~$0.03 - $0.10

For more details, see the OpenAI documentation

Anthropic (Claude)

Anthropic provides Claude models, known for excellent reasoning and long context handling.

Steps to Get Your API Key

1. Create an Account

   • Go to console.anthropic.com
   • Click Sign up with email or Google

2. Add Payment Method

   • Navigate to Settings → Billing
   • Click Add payment method
   • Add credits to your account (minimum $5)

3. Create API Key

   • Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys
   • Click Create Key
   • Name it "Oplinque"
   • Important: Copy the key immediately - it will only be shown once!
   • If you lose it, delete and create a new one

4. Add to Oplinque

   • Go to Settings → AI Settings
   • Paste your key in the Anthropic field
   • Click Save

Key Format

sk-ant-api03-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Recommended Models

• Claude Sonnet 4.5 - Best balance of speed and reasoning
• Claude Opus 4.5 - Highest quality, best for final resume polish
• Claude Haiku 4.5 - Extremely fast, 200k context widow

Cost Estimates

• Job extraction: ~$0.01
• Resume analysis: ~$0.03-0.08
• Cover letter: ~$0.05-0.15

For more details, see the Anthropic documentation

Google AI (Gemini)

Google AI provides Gemini models with a generous free tier.

Steps to Get Your API Key

1. Go to Google AI Studio

   • Visit aistudio.google.com
   • Sign in with your Google account

2. Get API Key

   • Click Get API Key in the left sidebar
   • Click Create API key
   • Select or create a Google Cloud project
   • Important: Copy the key immediately - it may only be shown once!
   • You can view existing keys but may need to regenerate if lost

3. Add to Oplinque

   • Go to Settings → AI Settings
   • Paste your key in the Google AI field
   • Click Save

Key Format

AIzaSyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Recommended Models

• Gemini 3 Pro - Best for multimodal and agentic tasks
• Gemini 3 Flash - Our fastest 1M+ context model
• Gemini 2.5 Pro - Solid reasoning at lower cost

Free Tier

• 60 requests per minute
• Great for getting started at no cost

Cost Estimates (Beyond Free Tier)

• Generally 50-70% cheaper than OpenAI

For more details, see the Google AI documentation

xAI (Grok)

xAI provides Grok models with real-time knowledge and unique capabilities.

Steps to Get Your API Key

1. Create an Account

   • Go to console.x.ai
   • Sign up with your X (Twitter) account or email

2. Add Payment Method

   • Navigate to billing settings
   • Add a payment method

3. Create API Key

   • Go to API Keys section
   • Click Create new key
   • Important: Copy the key immediately - it will only be shown once!
   • If you lose it, delete and create a new one

4. Add to Oplinque

   • Go to Settings → AI Settings
   • Paste your key in the xAI field
   • Click Save

Key Format

xai-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For more details, see the xAI documentation

Recommended Models

• Grok 4.1 Fast - Best for real-time data and agentic search
• Grok 4 - Highest reasoning capabilities
• Grok 4 Fast - High speed, 2M context window

OpenRouter

OpenRouter provides access to multiple AI providers through a single API key. Great for trying different models.

Steps to Get Your API Key

1. Create an Account

   • Go to openrouter.ai
   • Click Sign up with Google, GitHub, or email

2. Add Credits

   • Navigate to Credits in your dashboard
   • Add funds via credit card or crypto
   • Minimum $5 recommended to start

3. Create API Key

   • Go to openrouter.ai/keys
   • Click Create Key
   • Name it "Oplinque"
   • Important: Copy the key immediately - it will only be shown once!
   • If you lose it, delete and create a new one

4. Add to Oplinque

   • Go to Settings → AI Settings
   • Paste your key in the OpenRouter field
   • Click Save

Key Format

sk-or-v1-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Benefits

• Access to 100+ models from different providers
• Automatic fallback if one provider is down
• Compare different models easily
• Often cheaper than direct provider access

Available Models

• All OpenAI models
• All Anthropic models
• All Google models
• Meta Llama models
• Mistral models
• And many more

For more details, see the OpenRouter documentation

Important: API Key Security

You Can Only Copy Your Key Once!

Warning: Most providers only show your API key once when you create it. After you close the dialog or navigate away, you cannot view it again.

What this means:

• Copy your key immediately after creation
• Paste it directly into Oplinque before doing anything else
• If you lose your key, you'll need to create a new one

What To Do If Your Key Is Leaked

If you accidentally share your key publicly (in code, screenshots, etc.):

1. Delete the compromised key immediately

   • Go to your provider's API key management page
   • Find the leaked key and delete/revoke it

2. Create a new key

   • Generate a fresh API key
   • Update the key in Oplinque settings

3. Check for unauthorized usage

   • Review your usage dashboard for unusual activity
   • Check if unexpected charges appeared

How to delete and regenerate keys by provider:

Security Best Practices

1. Never share your API key - Treat it like a password
2. Don't commit keys to code repositories - Use environment variables
3. Use unique keys for Oplinque - Create a separate key for each app
4. Set spending limits - Most providers let you cap monthly spending
5. Monitor usage regularly - Check your provider dashboard weekly
6. Rotate keys periodically - Create new keys and delete old ones every few months
7. Don't paste keys in public - Screenshots, forums, chat can expose them

What Oplinque Does To Protect Your Key

• Protects your key before storing it in the database (where supported)
• Avoids logging your key in plain text
• Uses your key for features you enable
• Doesn't share your key with third parties except to provide the service or as required by law
• Minimizes exposure of your key in transit and processing

Official Provider Documentation

For the most up-to-date and detailed information, refer to each provider's official docs:

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API Key" Error

• Check for extra spaces when copying
• Verify the key hasn't been revoked
• Ensure you have billing set up

"Insufficient Credits" Error

• Add funds to your provider account
• Check your spending limits

"Rate Limit" Error

• Wait a few seconds and try again
• Consider upgrading your plan for higher limits

Features Not Working

1. Verify the API key is saved in settings
2. Check that the feature is enabled
3. Ensure you selected a valid model for that provider

Cost Management Tips

1. Start with free tiers - Google AI offers generous free usage
2. Use smaller models first - GPT-5 Mini and Claude Haiku 4.5 are cheaper
3. Set spending caps - Most providers allow monthly limits
4. Monitor usage - Check your dashboard weekly
5. Enable only needed features - Disable features you don't use

Next Steps

• Configure AI Settings
• Generate Cover Letters
• Analyze Your Resume