API Keys
Set up your Anthropic API key, understand security, and manage billing.
Innovatic connects directly to Anthropic's API using your own API key. There's no Innovatic server in the middle — every request goes straight from your machine to Anthropic.
This means Innovatic itself is free. You pay only for the API usage you generate, billed directly by Anthropic.
Why you need an API key
Innovatic does not provide API access. You bring your own key and connect directly to Anthropic. This design gives you full transparency over what's being sent, full control over your spending limits, and no dependency on Innovatic's infrastructure for your AI calls.
Get a key from Anthropic
- Go to console.anthropic.com and sign in (or create a free account)
- Navigate to API Keys in the Settings menu
- Click Create Key — give it a name like "Innovatic"
- Copy the key immediately — it starts with
sk-ant-and is only shown once
Treat your API key like a password. Don't commit it to version control, share it publicly, or paste it into untrusted tools.
Add your key to Innovatic
- Open Innovatic and go to Settings
- Find the API Key field under the Anthropic section
- Paste your key and press Save
- A green checkmark confirms the key is valid and active
Your key is saved immediately and used for all subsequent agent sessions.
Security
Your key never leaves your device in any direction other than to Anthropic:
- Stored in macOS Keychain — the system's secure credential storage, not in plain-text config files
- No Innovatic servers — Innovatic has no backend that receives or proxies your key
- Direct connection only — all API calls go from your machine to
api.anthropic.com - No logging — your key is never written to logs, crash reports, or analytics
Billing and usage
API usage is billed by Anthropic at their standard rates. Innovatic adds no markup.
Running multiple agents in parallel multiplies your API consumption proportionally — each agent maintains its own conversation context and makes independent API calls. You can set a monthly spending limit in console.anthropic.com to keep usage predictable.
Setting a spending cap in the Anthropic Console is recommended when you first start running parallel agents. It prevents unexpected charges while you calibrate how many agents you run at once.