Setting up your keys, step by step
Which key gives you which part of Ava, where to make each one, and where to put it. One Qwen key is enough to start; the rest are optional.
Ava has no accounts. She runs on your own API keys, and you pay each provider directly for what you use. This guide walks through which keys exist, what each one unlocks, and how to make it. If you only make one, make the Qwen key.
Which key does what
- Qwen (Alibaba Cloud): chat on the default Maestro style, plus images, voiceovers and video. This is the one to start with.
- DeepSeek: adds the Supernova style, which puts DeepSeek and Qwen to work together on heavier jobs. Supernova needs both keys.
- Mistral: the Aurora style, which runs on Mistral alone, with Mistral Large 4 leading.
- Brave Search: optional, for better web search. Without it Ava uses DuckDuckGo.
Settings, API Keys also takes keys for Kimi, GLM, Xiaomi MiMo, Tencent Hunyuan, NVIDIA and MiniMax, for when you want to pick one of their models yourself. Every row has a link straight to the page where that provider makes keys.
Your Qwen key
- Sign in to (or create) an Alibaba Cloud account and open the Model Studio API Key page: modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1/settings/api-key
- Check the region in the top-right corner says Singapore. A key only works in the region it was made in, and Ava talks to Singapore.
- Click Create API Key, keep the default workspace, set Permissions to All, and click OK.
- Copy the key straight away: Alibaba will not show it again.
- In Ava, open Settings, then API Keys, and paste it beside Qwen (Alibaba).
Your DeepSeek key (for Supernova)
- Sign up at platform.deepseek.com. This is the API platform, separate from the DeepSeek chat site.
- Add some balance under Top up. Calls fail until your balance is above zero.
- Open API keys, create a new key, and copy it immediately: it is shown only once.
- Paste it beside DeepSeek in Settings, API Keys, then pick Supernova from the model picker.
Your Mistral key (for Aurora)
- Sign in at console.mistral.ai and set up billing for your workspace, or choose the free Experiment plan if it is offered to you.
- Open API Keys and click Create new key. Give it a name, and an expiry date if you want one.
- Copy it straight away: Mistral shows the full key only once.
- Paste it beside Mistral AI in Settings, API Keys, then pick Aurora from the model picker.
A Brave Search key (optional)
Brave gives Ava better, fresher web results than the default. Sign up at api-dashboard.search.brave.com, choose a Search plan, and create a key under API Keys. Brave’s plans and monthly credit change, so check the current terms on their dashboard, and set a usage limit there so there are no surprises.
Rather pay nothing at all?
Run a model on your own computer with Ollama or LM Studio and point Ava at it. No key, no bill, and nothing leaves your machine. Images, voiceovers and video still need a Qwen key.
Run Ava for $0 on your own machine
Keeping your keys safe
- Ava stores your keys in your operating system’s keychain, on your machine. Each key goes only to the provider it belongs to, never to us.
- The VS Code extension and the desktop app share the same keychain, so a key you add in one works in the other.
- A key is a password for your account with that provider. Never paste one into a chat, an email or Discord. Nobody on the Ava team will ever ask for it.
- If a key leaks, delete it in the provider’s console and make a new one. The old one stops working at once.