What is an API Key?
At NorthSignal, we believe you shouldn't have to pay a monthly subscription fee on top of what you already pay the AI companies. We are completely free to use.
Instead of charging you a flat rate, NorthSignal connects directly to the AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google). To do this, NorthSignal needs permission to talk to them on your behalf.
This permission comes in the form of an API Key.
The "VIP Pass" Analogy
Think of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini as massive, exclusive libraries. Millions of people are trying to get in to ask questions.
An API Key is like a personalized VIP Library Card.
When you give your VIP card to NorthSignal, you're saying: "Hey NorthSignal, if I ask you a question, take my VIP card, run to the ChatGPT library, get the answer, and bring it back to me."
Because you're using your own VIP card, you bypass the public line. You also only pay the library exactly for the pages you read—usually just pennies a day.
Is it safe to give NorthSignal my keys?
Yes. Absolute security is our top priority.
When you paste an API Key into NorthSignal:
- It is sent over a secure, encrypted connection.
- It is immediately locked inside our Supabase Vault, a military-grade database encryption system.
- Once it is in the vault, even we cannot see your key. Nobody at NorthSignal can view your raw API keys.
- The system only unencrypts the key for milliseconds at a time—just long enough to "flash the VIP card" to the AI provider to get your answer.
You can delete your keys from our vault at any time with a single click in your Settings.
Ready to get your keys?
It takes about 3 minutes to generate a key. Choose the provider you want to set up first: