Power Xook with your own free AI key (BYOK)
How to generate a free API key and connect it so Xook answers grounded in your learning.
- Run your personal AI coach for free — every listed provider has a free tier
- Automatic failover across multiple keys, so a rate limit never stops you
- Keys are validated, encrypted server-side and never shown again
What is Xook?
Xook is your personal AI coach. It's grounded in your world — your course content, your cohort, your reflections and your live progress — so its answers are about where you actually are, not generic.
Xook runs on an AI key. On the free plan you bring your own (BYOK) — every provider below has a free tier, no credit card needed.
Add a key (2 minutes)
1. Go to Settings → Xook AI keys.
2. Pick a provider and open its “How to get a free key” guide.
3. Follow the steps to generate a key, paste it in, choose a model, and click Validate & add key. We test the key before saving it.
Recommended free providers
- NVIDIA NIM (build.nvidia.com) — free credits, generous limits. Keys start with
nvapi-. - Groq — very fast, free daily tokens. Keys start with
gsk_. - Google AI Studio (Gemini) — free tier, no card. Keys start with
AIza. - OpenRouter — use any model tagged
:free. Keys start withsk-or-. - Cerebras, Together, Mistral — all have free tiers too.
- Custom — any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (bring your own base URL + key).
Automatic failover
Add more than one key and Xook tries them in precedence order (lower number = tried first). If a key fails or times out, Xook automatically fails over to the next one — so a rate limit on one provider never stops you. Reorder precedence anytime on the same page; disable or delete a key with one click.
Is my key safe?
Yes. Your key is validated, then encrypted into a server-side vault. It never appears in the browser again (you only ever see the last 4 characters), it's never returned in any API response, and a database dump alone can't reveal it. If your organization adds shared keys for the whole cohort, members use them through the server without ever seeing the key.
Tiers
- Basic — your own free key (this page).
- Advanced — tools, planning and memory.
- Cloud — your organization runs Xook for the whole cohort on shared keys.
- DemystiPai — the hosted top tier.
Frequently asked
Is my API key safe?
Yes. Your key is validated, then encrypted into a server-side vault. It never appears in the browser again (you only see the last 4 characters), it's never returned in any API response, and a database dump alone can't reveal it.
Which providers have free keys?
NVIDIA NIM, Groq, Google AI Studio (Gemini), OpenRouter (:free models), Cerebras, Together and Mistral all have free tiers — plus any custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
What happens if my provider rate-limits me?
Add more than one key and Xook tries them in precedence order. If a key fails or times out, it automatically fails over to the next — so one provider's limit never stops you.
What are the Xook tiers?
Basic (your own free key), Advanced (tools, planning, memory), Cloud (your organization runs shared keys for the cohort) and DemystiPai (the hosted top tier).