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Agent / app· Quota & billing

“Quota exceeded — please use your own API key” explained

Quota exceeded — please use your own API key
Quick answer

This message comes from an app or agent that bundled a shared, limited key for trials. The shared free quota ran out, so it’s asking you to plug in your own API key to keep going.

What causes it

How to fix it

  1. Create your own API key with a provider and paste it into the app’s settings.
  2. Make sure that key has billing/credit so it doesn’t immediately hit the same wall.
  3. Pick a provider whose limits fit how hard your agent runs.
Running an agent?

Agent frameworks like OpenClaw show this when their bundled trial key is spent — your own flat-rate key removes the recurring wall.

The permanent fix

Stop hitting this entirely

When you do bring your own key, point it at Standard Compute (https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1, model “standardcompute”): unlimited compute at a flat price means the “quota exceeded” wall doesn’t come back.

Get a free API key →How it connects →

FAQ

Which API key should I use?

Any OpenAI-compatible key works. For agents that run constantly, a flat-rate unlimited key avoids re-hitting quota walls that per-token keys keep running into.

Related errors

OpenAI “You exceeded your current quota” (insufficient_quota)OpenAI · 429Why your AI agent keeps getting rate limited (and how to stop it)Any agentOpenClaw “API rate limit reached” (429)OpenClaw · 429