Get an API key: Alibaba Cloud

An Alibaba Cloud key authenticates against one region's endpoint and no other. Big-AGI dials the international endpoint unless told otherwise. A key from another region is refused, which reads exactly like a bad key.

Picking the console for your region

1. bailian.console.alibabacloud.com covers China (Beijing), Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Frankfurt. US (Virginia) has its own console at modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/us-east-1.
2. Inside it, API Key -> Create API Key (Alibaba's own steps).
3. Copy or download from the dialog straight away - the complete key is shown once.

The cloud account behind it

Sign-up produces a cloud account with a model-studio workspace, billed on the cloud invoice. Fund it before the first answer. Set the spending limit in that account's billing settings. Alibaba's own model list describes what the workspace exposes.

Adding the key and matching the endpoint

Ctrl + Shift + M opens Models; press More Services when the Setup AI Models wizard is in the way. Then Add -> Alibaba Cloud, paste into Alibaba Cloud API Key, and press Models (add and manage your keys).

Now set API Endpoint under Advanced to the region whose console issued the key. That field is the fix for the mismatch.

Direct Connection

Direct Connection can be turned on once the key is in the browser. It starts off.

When this doesn't work

What you see	What it means	What to do
Upstream responded with HTTP 401 Unauthorized	A valid key against the wrong regional endpoint reads exactly like an invalid one.	Set API Endpoint to your region, then key and access errors

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