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Getting an API key for summaries

Daisy needs one API key to write summaries, answer questions across your meetings, generate chapters, and run the Analyzer. Transcription is on-device and doesn't need a key — this article is only about the summary side.

You only need one of the three cloud providers Daisy supports for summaries. Pick whichever you already use:

  • Anthropic (Claude)
  • OpenAI (GPT)
  • Groq — has a free tier, so you can start without a credit card.

Any of the three handles meeting summaries; pick whichever you already have an account with.

Each key lives in your account with your card, billed directly. Daisy never proxies your requests and never sees the bill.

Heads up. All three providers ask for a phone number and (for OpenAI and Anthropic) a credit card before the key works. Charges are usually pennies per meeting, but set a monthly budget cap on their side as soon as you're set up — see "Set a budget cap" at the end.

Anthropic (Claude)

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up. The API console is separate from the claude.ai chat account.
  2. Verify your email and phone number.
  3. Open Settings → Billing and add a credit card. Anthropic gives you a small starting credit so you can try it before you spend.
  4. In the left sidebar, click API Keys, then Create Key.
  5. Give the key a name — for example, Daisy on my laptop.
  6. Copy the key (it starts with sk-ant-…). You won't see it again after you leave that page. Paste it into Daisy now (see below) or store it somewhere safe.

OpenAI

  1. Go to platform.openai.com and sign up. The API platform is separate from chatgpt.com — a ChatGPT Plus subscription doesn't give you API credit.
  2. Verify your email and phone number.
  3. First-time setup may ask you to create an organization — name it whatever you like (your own name is fine).
  4. Open Settings → Billing and add a credit card. A small prepaid top-up (~$5) is enough to unlock the API key for everyday use.
  5. In the left sidebar, click API keys, then Create new secret key. Name it something like Daisy on my laptop.
  6. Copy the key (it starts with sk-proj-…). You won't see it again after you leave that page. Paste it into Daisy now or store it somewhere safe.

Groq

  1. Go to console.groq.com and sign up. Google / GitHub / email all work. No credit card required to start.
  2. In the left sidebar, click API Keys, then Create API Key.
  3. Name it (for example, Daisy on my laptop).
  4. Copy the key (it starts with gsk_…). You won't see it again after you leave that page.
  5. Groq's free tier (as of 2026) covers light personal use; if you exceed it, you can add a card under Settings → Billing.

Add the key to Daisy

  1. Open Daisy and go to Settings → Providers.
  2. Under AI provider, pick the one whose key you just generated (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Groq). The section shows a single editor for the provider you select.
  3. Click Configure (or Edit if a key is already stored).
  4. Step 1 of 2 — paste the key. Leave Base URL blank to use the default. Click Test key & list models →. Daisy makes one call to the provider to confirm the key works and pulls the list of available models.
  5. Step 2 of 2 — pick a model. Daisy preselects your previously saved model if you have one, otherwise the first model the provider returns. Pick any model from the dropdown, or type a custom model name in the field below it. Click Save.

That's it. Picking the provider here also sets it as your default, so Daisy uses it for the next summary you run. The key is stored encrypted in your local vault, unlocked automatically on a trusted machine, or with your passphrase if you set one — see Your vault and profile folder.

To remove a key, reopen the editor and click Clear key.

Set a budget cap

Once the key is working, hop back to the provider's console and set a monthly spending cap so a runaway bill is impossible:

  • Anthropic: Console → Settings → Limits → monthly budget + email alert.
  • OpenAI: Platform → Settings → Limits → monthly hard cap + notification threshold. A $10–$25 cap is plenty for solo use.
  • Groq: Console → Settings → Billing → spending limit. Free tier needs no cap, but set one if you add a card.

Don't want a paid key at all?

You don't have to. In Settings → Providers, set AI provider to None — use copy-paste. The Copy all button on each meeting's transcript (and Copy on the summary) bundles a ready-to-paste prompt you can drop into your own ChatGPT or Claude chat. Paste the summary it gives back into the meeting's notes panel.

A keyless local AI server (LM Studio or Ollama) is also an option — see Running Daisy fully offline for that path.