# OpenAI key

> With your own OpenAI key, SupportFast's artificial intelligence runs on your OpenAI account. You choose more advanced models and a longer history, and AI messages don't count against your plan.

Page: https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/developers/openai-key/ · Section: Account · Updated on 30 October 2026

> **Before you start**
>
> - An account on platform.openai.com, with billing turned on and some credit.
> - The “Billing (Account)” permission. Without it, the key panels don't appear, on the account, on workspaces or on agents.

## What it is and what changes

The OpenAI key is a secret code that connects SupportFast to your OpenAI account. Without your own key, AI is included in the plan and uses SupportFast's service.

| What | Without your own key | With your key |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI model | Always the default model | You choose the model in the chat agent's Playground and in the automations' AI nodes |
| History | The last 5 messages at most | You choose how many messages of the conversation to consider |
| AI messages and cost | Included in the plan: they count against the monthly quota | They don't count against the plan: you pay OpenAI for them, on the key's account |
| Voice messages in the widget | Not included | Included: the agent answers by reading the transcript |
| Voice messages on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, with Receive and Transcribe Audio turned on in the channel | You listen to them in the console and answer yourself | They're transcribed and the agent answers |

**What doesn't change.** Call minutes, executions, sends, agents, users and the other quotas stay those of the plan. See [How usage is counted](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/account/plans-and-usage.md#how-usage-is-counted).

### What uses your key

With the key, these go through your OpenAI account:

- the chat agent's answers, on every channel;
- training and searching the knowledge;
- transcription of voice messages;
- the automations' AI nodes;
- the summary and translation in Conversations;
- automatic contact profiling;
- for the voice agent, prompt generation and the analysis after the call: outcome, summary and extracted data.

## Which key applies

Usually one key on the account is enough, and it applies to everything. If you want to keep some costs separate, you can put a different key on a workspace or on a single chat agent: the one closest to the agent applies.

The voice agent and the automations' AI nodes use the workspace or account key. To transcribe voice messages from channels, the key of the chat agent that answers applies, if it has one; otherwise the workspace or account key.

## Creating the key on OpenAI

1. **Sign in to the OpenAI dashboard**
   Sign in to platform.openai.com with your OpenAI account, or create one.

2. **Turn on billing**
   Add a payment method and add some credit. Without credit the key doesn't work.

3. **Create the key**
   We recommend a project dedicated to SupportFast. Create a new secret key and give it a recognizable name, for example “SupportFast”.

4. **Copy it whole**
   Copy the key, which starts with `sk-`, and keep it somewhere safe until you enter it.

> **Note**
>
> **Key permissions.** If you restrict the key's permissions on OpenAI, leave it access to the models for chat and for searching the knowledge.

## Entering the key

At each level, the console checks the key at a different moment:

| Where | When it's tested on OpenAI | If OpenAI rejects it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Account | With Test and save, before saving it. | It isn't saved. |
| Workspace | Never: it's saved as it is. | You only notice because the agents don't answer. Test it right after saving, as explained below. |
| Chat agent | Every time the General tab is saved, even if you change something else. | Nothing in the tab is saved, not even the other changes. |

### On the account

It applies to all workspaces and agents that don't have their own key.

1. **Open the key panel**
   Go to Account › Subscription and scroll down to the “OpenAI key” panel. Alternatively, press “Add your key for unlimited messages” on the “AI messages” panel: unlimited means without the plan's limit, because you pay for them on your OpenAI account.

2. **Paste the key**
   Paste it into the OpenAI key field. The eye icon, Show the key, shows it in full.

3. **Test and save**
   Press Test and save. The console tests the key on OpenAI and saves it only if it works: “OpenAI key saved” appears.

> **Result**
>
> “OpenAI key set” appears on the “AI messages” panel.

A key rejected by OpenAI isn't saved, and you read “The key does not work: check you copied it whole and enabled billing on platform.openai.com.”.

### On a workspace

It applies to the agents in that workspace that don't have their own key.

1. **Open the workspace settings**
   Go to the [Workspace settings](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/workspace/settings.md) and find the “OpenAI key” panel.

2. **Turn off the account key**
   Turn off Use the main Account API key: the key field appears.

3. **Paste the key**
   Paste it into the OpenAI key field.

4. **Save and test**
   Press Save changes in the bar at the bottom. Here the console doesn't test the key: right away, open an agent of the workspace with the chat link. If it answers, the key works.

### On a chat agent

It applies only to that agent. It's useful to keep costs separate, for example for a client or a project.

1. **Open the Agent profile**
   Go to Chat agent › Agent profile › General, “OpenAI Key” panel.

2. **Turn off the workspace key and paste yours**
   Turn off Use the workspace key and paste the key into the Enter API key field that appears.

3. **Save**
   Press Save changes. Every time the tab is saved, the console tests the key on OpenAI. If it's rejected, you read “OpenAI did not accept this key: check it and try again.” on the field and nothing is saved, not even the other changes.

> **Warning**
>
> **An agent key that stops working blocks the General tab.** If the credit has run out or you revoked the key, no change in the tab can be saved, even if it's about something else. To unblock it, top up the credit, paste a key that works, or turn Use the workspace key back on and save.

## If the key stops working

A key can stop working when the credit on OpenAI runs out or when you revoke it. Until you fix it, the agents that use it don't answer customers and new trainings fail.

> **Tip**
>
> **Keep an eye on your credit.** In the OpenAI dashboard, set a spending limit and an email alert.

To get going again, top up the credit or create a new key and enter it in place of the old one. Then rerun the failed trainings with ⋮ › Re-run training: see [Training: how it works](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/chat-agent/training.md).

## Removing the key

- **Account.** In the “OpenAI key” panel, press Remove and confirm. The key is removed right away and AI messages count against the plan again.
- **Workspace.** Turn Use the main Account API key back on and save: the workspace key is removed.
- **Agent.** Turn Use the workspace key back on and save: the agent key is removed.

Removing the key from one level doesn't change the others: agents and workspaces with their own key keep using it.

Removing the key from SupportFast doesn't deactivate it on OpenAI. If you no longer need it, revoke it in the OpenAI dashboard too.

## Privacy

With your key, the data the AI processes reaches OpenAI through your OpenAI account. So the terms you accepted with OpenAI also apply to that data, including its data processing agreement: check them before entering the key. How SupportFast processes data on your behalf is set out in the data processing agreement (DPA) and the list of sub-processors: see [Legal documents](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/help/legal-documents.md) and [Privacy and security](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/help/privacy-security.md). If you have doubts about your case, ask your privacy consultant.

Don't send the key by email or in a chat, not even to us. If it ends up in the wrong hands, revoke it on OpenAI and enter the new one.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can I use a key from another AI provider?**

No. SupportFast accepts only OpenAI keys.

## See also

- [Playground: instructions and flows](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/chat-agent/playground.md): Choosing the agent's model and history.

- [Subscription and payments](https://supportfast.ai/en/guide/account/subscription.md): The page with the account key.