# Paste an API key and how the provider is detected

In NeuralVault 2.0 you paste a key into one box and the app works out the provider from the start of the key; a key it cannot recognise is not saved.

*https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/paste-an-api-key — last checked 2026-09-30*

## Steps

1. Open Settings, then Intelligence, then API keys.
2. Press "Add a key". A box reads "Paste an API key…".
3. Paste the key. Under the box the app shows "Detected:" and the provider name. It recognises these starts: sk-ant- for Anthropic, sk-or- for OpenRouter, AIza for Google, gsk_ for Groq, nvapi- for NVIDIA, xai- for xAI, and sk- for OpenAI.
4. Press "Save". The provider moves into "Your keys" with a tick meaning stored and working.
5. To replace or clear a stored key, use the Replace and Clear controls on its row. To add a Brave Search key, which powers web search for an agent and is not a chat provider, use "Add a Brave Search key".

## How to tell it worked

The provider appears under "Your keys", and a message in Chat on one of its models is answered.

## If it does not work

**The app says it could not tell which provider the key belongs to, so it was not saved.**

Keys with no recognisable start cannot be saved through Add a key. If the provider offers an OpenAI-compatible endpoint, add it as a direct provider further down the same screen instead.

**A note says "Saved, but not checked".**

The key was stored but the app could not verify it at that moment. The note gives the reason. It is not necessarily a bad key, so try a message in Chat before regenerating it.

**You want to see the key again.**

The screen only shows whether a key exists, never the key itself once saved. Keys are stored securely on this device. Paste a new one to replace it.

## Related guides

- [Add an API key for a cloud provider](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/add-provider-api-key)
- [Connect Azure OpenAI, Z.ai, or another direct endpoint](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/connect-azure-or-direct-endpoint)
- [Choose which model answers in Chat](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/choose-a-model-in-chat)

## Still stuck

Bug reports belong in the app, in Settings, About. Those carry no contact details, so they
get fixed rather than answered. To get a reply, email us instead: that route targets two
business days. https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/contact