How to Input your OpenAI API Keys in Tikly

Written By Blessed Patrick

Last updated About 2 hours ago

📚 In this article you will learn how to input your OpenAI API credentials so you can use the AI tools in the app.

To use the AI tools in Tikly, you need to connect your own OpenAI API key. This sounds technical, but the process is straightforward. Follow the steps below to:

  1. Create an OpenAI API account

  2. Generate your OpenAI Secret Key

  3. Add credit to your OpenAI account

  4. Input your key into Tikly

1. Obtaining your OpenAI API keys

1.1 Open an OpenAI API account

  1. Go to the OpenAI website.

  2. Scroll down to the footer and click API Login.

  3. Sign in with the same email and password you use for ChatGPT, or click Sign Up to create a new account.

  1. After entering your personal information, you’ll see a screen asking where you wish to go.
    Select API.

1.2 Generate a Secret Key

  1. In the left sidebar of the OpenAI dashboard, click API Keys.

  2. Click Create new secret key in the top-right corner.

  1. In the modal that appears:

  • Owned by: select You.

  • Name: give your key a descriptive name (for example, “Tikly AI” or “Tikly – Main Key”).

  • Project (optional): select a project if you want to link it.

  • Permissions: select All.

  1. Click Create.

  2. Copy the secret key that appears and save it somewhere safe (for example, a password manager or secure notes).

Once you close this window, you will not be able to see the full secret key again. If you lose it, you’ll need to create a new one.

💡PRO TIP: You can reuse the same Secret Key across several Tikly apps. However, we recommend creating separate keys for each app so you can track token usage and costs per tool more easily.

2. Adding Credit to Your OpenAI Account

OpenAI models work with tokens, and tokens have a cost. Your API key will not work if your OpenAI account has no credit.

We recommend adding at least $10.00 USD to get started. You can always add more later or enable auto-recharge.

2.1 Add a Payment Method

  1. In the OpenAI dashboard, click the Settings icon in the top-right corner.

  2. In the left sidebar, select Billing.

  3. Scroll down and click Payment Methods.

  1. In the Payment Methods section, click Add Payment Method.

  2. Enter your credit card information.

  3. (Optional) Set it as your default payment method.

  4. Save your changes.

2.2 Add Credit to Your Account

  1. After adding a payment method, go back to the Overview section under Billing.

  2. Click Add to credit balance.

  1. Enter the amount you want to add in USD (for example, 10).

  2. Select your payment method.

  3. Click Continue and confirm the purchase.

  4. When finished, return to the Overview section to confirm that your credit balance has been updated.

When your credit balance reaches $0.00 USD, your API requests will stop working. This means any AI features or chatbots using your OpenAI key (including Tikly) will stop responding until you add more credit.

2.3 Enable Auto-recharge (Optional)

To avoid interruptions, you can enable automatic recharge so your balance is topped up when it gets low.

  1. In the Overview section of Billing, click Enable auto recharge under your credit balance.

  1. In the auto-recharge settings:

  • Turn on the Yes toggle at the top.

  • Set the threshold (when your balance drops to this amount).

  • Set the recharge amount (how much to add each time).

  1. Save your settings.

From now on, when your balance falls below the threshold, OpenAI will automatically charge your default payment method and add the specified amount to your credit balance.

3. Input your OpenAI keys into Tikly

Once you have:

  • Created your OpenAI account

  • Generated a Secret Key

  • Added credit to your OpenAI account

you’re ready to connect your key to Tikly.

  1. Log in to your Tikly account.

  2. Go to Tikly (main app area).

  3. Open the Account Preferences panel directly via this link:
    https://tikly.me/account-preferences

  4. Locate the field for your OpenAI API key.

  5. Paste the Secret Key you generated in your OpenAI dashboard.

  6. Click Update to save your changes.

After saving, Tikly will use your OpenAI API key to power the AI tools in the app. If you experience issues (for example, AI tools not responding), check:

  • That your key is correctly pasted (no extra spaces).

  • That your OpenAI account still has credit.

  • That the key has not been deleted or restricted in your OpenAI dashboard.