🤖 Major LLM Providers
| Provider | Key Variable | Sign Up & Get Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | OPENAI_API_KEY | platform.openai.com/api-keys | GPT-4, GPT-4o, DALL·E 3, Whisper. |
| Anthropic | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | console.anthropic.com | Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus. Navigate to “API Keys”. |
GEMINI_API_KEY | aistudio.google.com/apikey | Gemini Pro/Flash, Imagen, Nano Banana. Often has a generous free tier. | |
| DeepSeek | DEEPSEEK_API_KEY | platform.deepseek.com | Strong coding models (DeepSeek-V3), very cost-effective. |
| xAI | GROK_API_KEY | console.x.ai | Grok models. Check docs.x.ai for API access. |
| Mistral AI | MISTRALAI_API_KEY | console.mistral.ai | European open-weights models. Navigate to “API Keys”. |
| Alibaba Cloud | ALIBABA_API_KEY | modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com | Qwen (text) and Wan (image) models via DashScope. |
| Moonshot AI | MOONSHOTAI_API_KEY | platform.moonshot.cn | Kimi models with long context (200K+ tokens). |
| MiniMax | MINIMAX_API_KEY | platform.minimaxi.com | Text generation (MiniMax-M2.x), image generation (MiniMax-Image-01), and high-quality speech synthesis. |
| ZhipuAI | ZHIPUAI_API_KEY | z.ai/manage-apikey/apikey-list | GLM models, strong Chinese language support, competitive pricing. |
☁️ Cloud & Infrastructure
| Provider | Key Variable | Sign Up & Get Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY | dash.cloudflare.com/profile/api-tokens | Workers AI (44+ open-source models). Requires CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID and API token with Account.Workers AI permissions. |
| AWS | AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID | aws.amazon.com | For DynamoDB storage backend. Also requires AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY. |
🎨 Creative & Specialized Services
| Provider | Key Variable | Sign Up & Get Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs | ELEVEN_LABS_API_KEY | elevenlabs.io | Premium Text-to-Speech and voice cloning. Navigate to profile → API Keys. |
| Suno | SUNO_API_ORG_API_KEY | sunoapi.org | Music generation via unofficial API. Sign up and navigate to API Keys. |
🔧 Self-Hosted / Local Options
For OpenAI-compatible endpoints (Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, etc.), you typically don’t need external API keys:| Service | Key Variable | Setup Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ollama | CUSTOMOPENAI_API_KEY | ollama.com | Set CUSTOMOPENAI_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1. Key can be any non-empty string. |
| vLLM | CUSTOMOPENAI_API_KEY | docs.vllm.ai | Point CUSTOMOPENAI_URL to your vLLM server. |
| LM Studio | CUSTOMOPENAI_API_KEY | lmstudio.ai | Default: CUSTOMOPENAI_URL=http://localhost:1234/v1. |
🔐 Security Tips
- Never commit API keys to version control. Use
.envfiles and add them to.gitignore. - Use environment variables or secret management tools (e.g., Docker secrets, AWS Secrets Manager).
- Rotate keys regularly, especially if they’re exposed or shared.
- Monitor usage via provider dashboards to detect unauthorized access.
- Set spending limits where available (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) to avoid surprise bills.
💡 Public Mode
If you’re running Chibi in Public Mode (PUBLIC_MODE=True), you don’t need to provide master API keys. Instead, each user will be prompted to provide their own keys via private message when they first interact with the bot.
This is ideal for:
- Shared/community bots
- Avoiding centralized billing
- Letting users control their own API usage
Need help? Check the FAQ or Troubleshooting guide.