> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pixeltable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
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# Configure API keys for AI services
This documentation page is also available as an interactive notebook. You can launch the notebook in
Kaggle or Colab, or download it for use with an IDE or local Jupyter installation, by clicking one of the
above links.
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| Method |
Persistence |
Best for |
| Environment variable |
Session/shell |
CI/CD, containers, production |
| Config file |
Permanent |
Local development, all projects |
| Getpass |
Session only |
Shared notebooks, demos |
`, `
| Service |
Env Variable |
Config Section |
| OpenAI |
OPENAI_API_KEY |
[openai] |
| Anthropic |
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
[anthropic] |
| Google |
GOOGLE_API_KEY |
[google] |
| Mistral |
MISTRAL_API_KEY |
[mistral] |
| Together |
TOGETHER_API_KEY |
[together] |
| Fireworks |
FIREWORKS_API_KEY |
[fireworks] |
`];
Set up API credentials for OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI providers so
Pixeltable can access them.
## Problem
You need to call AI services (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.) from your
data pipeline. These services require API keys, but you don’t want to
hardcode credentials in your notebooks or scripts.
## Solution
**What’s in this recipe:**
* Set API keys using environment variables
* Store keys in a config file for all projects
* Use `getpass` for one-time session keys
You configure API keys using one of three methods, depending on your
needs. Pixeltable automatically discovers credentials from environment
variables or config files—no code changes needed.
### Setup
```python theme={null}
%pip install -qU pixeltable
```
```python theme={null}
import os
import pixeltable as pxt
```
### Option 1: environment variables
**Use when:** CI/CD pipelines, Docker containers, production deployments
Set the environment variable in your shell before running Python:
```bash theme={null}
# In your terminal (temporary, current session only)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
# Or add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc (permanent)
echo 'export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."' >> ~/.zshrc
```
You can also set it in Python (useful for testing):
```python theme={null}
# Set in Python (current process only)
# os.environ['OPENAI_API_KEY'] = 'sk-...'
# Check if a key is set
'OPENAI_API_KEY' in os.environ
```
True
### Option 2: config file
**Use when:** Local development, want credentials available to all
Pixeltable projects
Create `~/.pixeltable/config.toml`:
```toml theme={null}
# ~/.pixeltable/config.toml
[openai]
api_key = "sk-..."
[anthropic]
api_key = "sk-ant-..."
[google]
api_key = "AIza..."
```
You can check if the config file exists:
```python theme={null}
# Check config file location
home_dir = pxt.home() # Usually ~/.pixeltable
config_file = home_dir / 'config.toml'
print(config_file)
config_file.exists()
```
/Users/asiegel/.pixeltable/config.toml
True
### Option 3: getpass (interactive)
**Use when:** Shared notebooks, demos, one-time sessions
Prompt for the key at runtime—it won’t be saved anywhere:
```python theme={null}
import getpass
# Uncomment to use interactively:
# if 'OPENAI_API_KEY' not in os.environ:
# os.environ['OPENAI_API_KEY'] = getpass.getpass('OpenAI API Key: ')
```
### Verify your configuration
Test that Pixeltable can access your credentials by checking the config:
```python theme={null}
# Check which API keys are available
services = [
'OPENAI_API_KEY',
'ANTHROPIC_API_KEY',
'GOOGLE_API_KEY',
'MISTRAL_API_KEY',
]
for svc in services:
status = '✓' if svc in os.environ else '✗'
print(f'{status} {svc}')
```
✓ OPENAI\_API\_KEY
✓ ANTHROPIC\_API\_KEY
✓ GOOGLE\_API\_KEY
✓ MISTRAL\_API\_KEY
## Explanation
**Discovery order:**
Pixeltable checks for API keys in this order:
1. Environment variable (e.g., `OPENAI_API_KEY`)
2. Config file (`~/.pixeltable/config.toml`)
3. Raises an error if not found
**Supported services:**
**Config file is global:** All Pixeltable projects on your machine share
the same config file.
**Getpass is per-session:** The key only exists in memory for the
current Python session.
## See also
* [Pixeltable configuration
reference](/platform/configuration)
* [Working with
OpenAI](/howto/providers/working-with-openai)
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