API Keys and Access

The AI Gateway uses team-scoped API keys.

Why Team-Scoped Keys Matter

Each key is tied to a team for usage accounting and chargeback. If you belong to multiple teams, you may need separate keys for each project.

Create a New Key

1. Open the Virtual Keys section in the gateway UI.
2. Select Create a new key.
3. Choose the correct team.
4. Provide a descriptive key name.
5. Leave advanced fields at defaults unless you need custom behavior. See the budget control section for more information.
6. Create the key and copy it immediately.

WARNING

You will not be able to view the full key value again after creation.

Secure Key Handling

• Store keys in a secret manager or environment variables.
• Never hard-code keys into source files.
• Never commit keys to Git.
• Rotate keys if exposure is suspected.

API Usage Example (Python)

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="YOUR_GATEWAY_KEY",
    base_url="https://public.aigateway.umn.edu"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4.1-mini",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Write a short welcome message for new students."}
    ]
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)

Minimum Required Parameters

• api_key: your API key
• base_url: gateway endpoint
• model: selected model in the catalog

Budget Control

When creating a key, you can usually set limits that protect your project from accidental overuse:

• RPM (requests per minute): caps how many calls the key can make each minute.
• TPM (tokens per minute): caps token throughput per minute.
• Max parallel requests: limits concurrent calls to prevent request spikes.
• Model restrictions (if enabled): allow only specific models for this key.
• Key budget cap and/or reset window (if shown): set a lower self-imposed spending limit for this key.

Use these controls to start conservative and then adjust upward based on real usage.

IMPORTANT

You can tighten limits on your own key, but you cannot increase your team or account budget from the key form. Budget increases are an admin-controlled setting.

Common Troubleshooting

• 401 Unauthorized: key is invalid, expired, or belongs to a different team
• 403 Forbidden: network access issue or account restriction
• 429 Too Many Requests: request rate or budget limit reached