API Keys·Groq

Setting up your Groq API key

Connect Groq to Whiskers for fast, low-cost transcription. Five-minute setup.

Whiskers uses Groq for fast, low-cost transcription. To plug it in, you'll create a Groq account, add billing, set a spend limit, and generate an API key. The whole thing takes about five minutes.

You'll need:

An email address (or Google / GitHub account)
A credit or debit card
About 5 minutes

Step 1 — Go to groq.com

Open groq.com in your browser and click Start Building in the top-right corner.

groq.com homepage with the Start Building button in the top-right

You'll land on the Groq Console login page. Pick whichever option you prefer — Continue with Google is generally the fastest.

Step 3 — Open Settings

Once you're signed in, you'll see your console dashboard. Click the Settings gear icon in the top-right of the page.

Groq Console dashboard with the Settings gear in the top navigation

Step 4 — Go to Billing

In the Settings sidebar on the left, click Billing.

Settings page showing the Organization sidebar with the Billing item

Step 5 — Add a payment method

On the Manage Billing tab, click Edit Billing Info to add your address, then Change Payment to add a card. Groq pay-as-you-go is metered — you'll only be charged for what you use.

Billing page with Edit Billing Info and Change Payment buttons

Step 6 — Set a spend limit (recommended)

Switch to the Spend Limits tab and set a monthly cap. A starter limit of $5–$10 is plenty for personal Whiskers use, you probably won't spend more than a few cents per month even if you're using it every day. You can also add a usage alert so you get an email before you reach the cap.

Spend Limits tab with the Spending Limit slider and Usage Alerts section

Step 7 — Create an API key

Click API Keys in the top navigation, then + Create API Key in the top-right.

API Keys page with the Create API Key button

Step 8 — Name it "Whiskers"

In the dialog, set the Display Name to Whiskers so you can recognize it later. Leave Expiration as No expiration (or pick a date if you'd rather rotate it manually). Click Submit.

Create API Key dialog with Display Name set to Whiskers and No expiration selected

Step 9 — Copy your key right now

⚠️ Copy the key before closing this dialog. Groq only shows it once. If you lose it, you'll have to delete the key and create a new one.

Click Copy, then paste the key somewhere safe (a password manager is ideal).

Created API Key dialog showing the new key with a Copy button and a one-time-display warning

Step 10 — You're done

You'll see your new Whiskers key in the API Keys list. Open Whiskers, go to its settings, and paste the key in.

API Keys list showing the newly created Whiskers key

Troubleshooting

I forgot to copy the key. No problem — delete it from the API Keys list and run through Step 7 again.

The key isn't working in Whiskers. Double-check that:

You pasted the entire key (it starts with gsk_).
Billing is set up (Step 5) — keys won't authorize without it.
You haven't hit your spend limit (Step 6).

I want to rotate or revoke the key. Go back to API Keys, click the trash icon on the row, and create a new one.