Use Your Own API Key
Connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or OpenRouter API key to NameQuick. Where to get each key, how to add it, and what it costs.
With the Self-Managed license (bring your own key, or BYOK), NameQuick uses your own AI provider account instead of managed renames. You pay the provider directly for what you use, typically a fraction of a cent per rename, and pay for NameQuick once. Self-Managed works on Mac and Windows.
Where to get each key#
| Provider | Where to create the key | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Sign in at platform.openai.com/api-keys, click Create new secret key, name it (for example "NameQuick"), and copy it. OpenAI shows the key only once. | Add a small amount of credit under Billing if your account has none; a few dollars covers thousands of renames. An OpenAI API account is separate from ChatGPT Plus: a ChatGPT subscription does not include API credit. |
| Anthropic (Claude) | Sign in at console.anthropic.com/settings/keys, click Create Key, and copy it. | Add billing credit under Plans & Billing if needed. |
| Google Gemini | Sign in at aistudio.google.com with a Google account, click Create API key, and copy it. | Gemini has a generous free tier, which makes it a good first provider to try. |
| OpenRouter | Sign in at openrouter.ai/keys, click Create Key, and copy it. | Add credit to your OpenRouter balance. One key for many models, useful if you want to experiment without creating accounts at each provider. |
| Custom | Your server's documentation | Your own OpenAI-compatible server; see below. |
Add a key to NameQuick#
Open SettingsAI. The steps are the same for every cloud provider.
Choose the provider
Select the provider you want to use under Provider.
Paste the key
Paste your API key into the field Paste your [provider] API key.
Let NameQuick check it
NameQuick checks the key and saves it only if the check passes. That provider then becomes the active one.
Pick a model
Pick a model under Model (a recommended model is preselected), then run a rename on a test file to confirm everything works.
After the check you see Connected · key saved to the macOS Keychain.
After the check you see Connected · key saved to the Windows Credential Manager.
Good to know
The key check is a small real API request, which can cost a tiny amount at the provider.
Once a provider is connected, all renaming stays on that provider. NameQuick never silently switches to a different one.
Use your own OpenAI-compatible server#
To connect your own OpenAI-compatible server instead, choose Custom under Provider and enter its Base URL and Model name.
What renaming costs with your own key#
A rename sends a small amount of extracted text (or image data for photos and scans) to the provider and gets a short filename back. Exact prices change, but with current mainstream models a typical document rename costs well under one cent, and even image-heavy batches stay inexpensive. Check your provider's dashboard after a first batch; you'll usually find the numbers reassuringly small.
Privacy notes#
Keys are stored in the macOS Keychain or the Windows Credential Manager, not in NameQuick's settings files, and are only sent to the provider you chose.
The content needed for naming goes directly to the provider you selected. Depending on the file and provider, that can be extracted text, an image, or the file itself, such as a PDF. Nothing is sent to NameQuick's servers for naming. For zero-cloud processing, see local models. The full per-mode breakdown of what leaves your computer is in Privacy & Your Data.
Common issues#
“No API key stored for the selected provider.”
The selected provider has no key yet, or the key was removed. Paste a valid key and try again.
“Your [provider] account has no API credit”
You see this when you connect a key and the provider account has no billing set up. Add billing or credit at the provider, then connect again. NameQuick doesn't save a key that fails this check.
“[provider] rejected this key on the last run. Replace it to continue.”
A key that worked before was refused later. Use Replace in SettingsAI.
Rate limit errors on big batches
New provider accounts often have low rate limits that increase automatically after a few days of use. Process a smaller batch, or wait and retry.
For everything else, see Troubleshooting.