Connect your OpenAI key

AIVA runs every AI feature on your own OpenAI API key. That includes voice calls, website chat, the voice widget, call summaries and drafted text replies. OpenAI bills you directly for that usage at its published rates. AIVA adds no markup. You need an OpenAI account with billing set up and permission to create API keys.

Why AIVA uses your key

• You pay OpenAI directly. Model usage goes on your OpenAI bill, not on your AIVA invoice. Your AIVA plan covers the platform. See OpenAI and Twilio usage.
• Nothing runs without it. Until a working key is connected, calls and chat are switched off. A banner at the top of the dashboard says Connect your OpenAI key to turn on calls and chat.

1. Create a key in OpenAI

Sign in to your OpenAI account and create a new secret API key on the API keys page. OpenAI's own help pages explain the steps. Copy the key when it's shown. OpenAI only shows it once.

A few things to check on the OpenAI side:

• The key must be an OpenAI key. It starts with sk-.
• Your OpenAI account needs billing or credit in place, or OpenAI will refuse requests.
• For voice calls and the voice widget, the key must be able to use OpenAI's Realtime API.

2. Add the key to AIVA

1. In the sidebar, open Usage & Billing → OpenAI.
2. On the OpenAI API key card (marked Required), click Add key. You can also click Get a key from OpenAI to open OpenAI's key page.
3. Paste your key into the API key field.
4. Click Save & verify.

AIVA checks the key with OpenAI before it saves it. When it passes, the card shows Connected followed by the last four characters of your key. AIVA never shows the full key again.

After you save, any knowledge you've already added is synced to your key. While that runs, the card shows Knowledge syncing with a count.

Replace or remove the key

• Replace: click Replace key, paste the new key and click Save & verify. The new key replaces the old one.
• Remove: click Remove, then confirm in the Remove OpenAI key? window. AI features, including calls, chat and the widget, stop working until you add a key again.

Troubleshooting

Here are the messages you may see and what they mean.

Message	What to do
That doesn't look like an OpenAI API key (it starts with sk-).	Check you copied the whole key, with nothing extra.
That looks like an OpenRouter key. AIVA needs an OpenAI API key (it starts with sk- but not sk-or-).	AIVA needs a key from OpenAI itself. Create one on OpenAI's API keys page.
OpenAI rejected this key. (or OpenAI's own error text)	The key may be revoked, mistyped or out of quota. Check it in your OpenAI account, or create a new one.
Couldn't reach OpenAI to verify the key — try again.	A temporary connection problem. Try again shortly.
This key can't use OpenAI's Realtime API, so voice calls and the voice widget won't work until it has access.	The key saved, but voice won't work yet. Enable Realtime access in your OpenAI account.

If the card shows Invalid, the key worked before but has stopped. The red message under it explains why. A dashboard banner also says Your OpenAI key isn't working. Update it to turn calls and chat back on. Fix the problem in OpenAI (often billing or quota), or click Replace key and add a new one.

If the card says some documents failed to sync, click Retry. If it says a document or assistant file needs to be re-uploaded, follow the link on the card to AI Training or Assistants and upload it again.

See your OpenAI usage

The same OpenAI page has an Estimated usage card. It shows your estimated spend This month and for the period you pick (7 days, 30 days or 90 days). Spend is split By type (Voice calls, Widget chat, Call summaries, Other), By assistant, and as a Daily trend.

These figures are estimates based on OpenAI's list prices. Your exact bill is on OpenAI's usage page.

Next steps

• Connect Twilio and a phone number
• OpenAI and Twilio usage
• Get started with AIVA