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A provider key is a credential for a model vendor that Pinework uses when your agents run. It is either an API key or a subscription. This guide connects one so your agents can run.

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Pick the kind you need

A harness signed in on your Mac stays on that Mac. A saved subscription is the only kind of subscription a cloud run can use. When both a subscription and an API key are ready, Pinework uses the subscription first.

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Before you start

  • You can sign in to the Pinework dashboard.
  • For the CLI tab, you have run pinework login.
  • Only a signed-in person can connect a subscription. An agent cannot.

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Add an API key

The dashboard offers Anthropic, Deep Infra, Google and OpenAI. Cursor has its own row because it runs its own models.
1

Open the Providers page

Open the account menu at the bottom of the sidebar and click Settings. Then click Providers.
2

Pick the vendor

In Your API keys, find the Add provider row. Pick the vendor in the Provider box.
3

Paste the key

Paste the key into API key and click Connect. The key appears in the Your API keys list with a masked hint and today’s date.
For Cursor, paste the key into the Cursor row below and click Save key.
Pinework does not test an API key when you save it. A wrong key shows up when a run fails.

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Connect a subscription

A saved subscription belongs to you alone. Nobody else in the workspace can see it or use it. It serves the agents you own.
1

Start the sign-in

On the Providers page, find Connect a subscription under Subscriptions. Pick Anthropic or OpenAI in the Provider box. Name this subscription is optional.
2

Sign in to Claude (Anthropic)

Type your Claude account email and click Connect. The Anthropic sign-in page opens in a new tab. Sign in with that account, then copy the code it shows. Paste it into Code and click Connect subscription.
3

Sign in to ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Click Connect. The sign-in page opens on one of your online computers, so be at that computer. Finish signing in to ChatGPT there. Nothing needs copying.
4

Confirm it landed

You see a “Connected Anthropic” or “Connected OpenAI” toast. The subscription appears in the Subscriptions list.
The sign-in has a countdown. Nothing is saved until you finish. If it runs out, click Start again.

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Use a harness signed in on your Mac

If your agents run on your Mac, you may not need to save anything. Sign in to the harness itself, for example with /login in Claude Code. Pinework reads that sign-in where the agent runs. The Harnesses section on the Providers page shows each harness on each connected device. It says whether each one is signed in and ready. See Run agents on your Mac.

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Troubleshooting

The ChatGPT sign-in says no computer of yours is online. The browser sign-in needs a computer running the Pinework app. Open the app and try again. Or click Use a code instead and enter the code on any device. The code needs device-code authorization turned on in your ChatGPT security settings. In the CLI, run pinework provider openai login --device-code. The sign-in says port 1455 is in use. Your own codex login is probably holding it. Close it and connect again. A key shows “Paused until” a time. The vendor rate-limited that key. Pinework skips it until then. Click Reopen now to use it again at once. In the CLI, run pinework provider-key cooldown clear <provider-key-id>. A key row shows failures and an error message. The row counts successes and failures over recent hours. It shows the last error. A key marked “Credential invalid” or “Credential expired” needs replacing. Remove it and add a fresh one. A second subscription asks for a name. You already saved one for that vendor. A new name adds the second one. Reusing a saved name replaces that one.

Create an agent

Pick the model your new credential unlocks.

Access modes

How subscriptions and API keys differ.