---
title: "Quickstart: API key and first request — AI Creator API"
description: "An AI Creator API key, a top-up, the base URL for Claude Code and Codex, and a first request with curl, step by step."
url: https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/
lang: en
updated: 2026-11-10
---

# Quickstart

AI Creator API speaks the Anthropic and OpenAI protocols: your harness works with it just as with the official API. You need a key, a balance and the base URL.

## 1. A key

Sign in to the dashboard and create a key on the Keys page. A key starts with `sk-aic-` and is shown once, so save it right away. A key’s limits and how to change them are in [Keys and limits](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/keys/).

[Create a key](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/app/keys/)

## 2. Balance

Top up on the Billing page: a card in rubles or crypto, any amount from $1 to $1000. Requests are charged from the balance by actual tokens; prices are on the [pricing page](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/pricing/).

## 3. Base URL

- Anthropic clients (Claude Code): `https://api.aicreator.app`
- OpenAI clients (Codex, Cline, OpenCode, Aider, SDKs): `https://api.aicreator.app/v1`

The key goes in the `Authorization: Bearer sk-aic-…` or `x-api-key` header. If both arrive and differ, `x-api-key` wins.

If the address above is unreachable from Russia or answers get cut off, use the same API at `https://api-ru.aicreator.app`: the key, the paths and the balance are the same.

## 4. Check

The models your key can use:

```bash
export AIC_API_KEY=sk-aic-…
curl https://api.aicreator.app/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIC_API_KEY"
```

A first request:

```bash
curl https://api.aicreator.app/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIC_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "gpt-6-astra", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'
```

## 5. Your tool

Each tool has its setup on a page of its own:

- [Claude Code](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/claude-code/) — Anthropic Messages
- [Codex CLI](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/codex/) — OpenAI Responses
- [Cline](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/cline/) — OpenAI Chat
- [OpenCode](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/opencode/) — OpenAI Chat
- [Aider](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/aider/) — OpenAI Chat

Your own code on the Anthropic or OpenAI SDK is covered in [How the API works](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/how-it-works/#own-code).

> Requests that reached a model show up in the dashboard with their tokens, money and latency. If a request fails, see [Troubleshooting](https://llm.aicreator.app/en/docs/troubleshooting/).