My Chirp says my AI key isn't working or has no credit

When you're done, your OpenRouter key works again and your Chirps answer.

Who this is for: account owners whose dashboard, Settings or preview says the OpenRouter key isn't working or has no credit. Only the account owner can change the account's key. Team members see the problem in the preview and can ask the owner, or in some workspaces add their own key.

What you see

On your dashboard, a red banner with Fix it (1), and the key's label on the AI account card (2):

• "Your OpenRouter key isn't working, so your Chirps can't answer."
• "Your OpenRouter key has no credit left to use, so your Chirps can't answer."

The reason follows the first sentence, for example "OpenRouter doesn't recognize this key. It may have been deleted or typed wrong."

In Settings, the AI provider: OpenRouter card shows Invalid key, Insufficient credits or Connection error, with the reason under it.

In the preview of any of your Chirps:

• "Your OpenRouter key isn't working anymore. Replace it in Settings > AI provider."
• "Your OpenRouter key has no credit left to use: your OpenRouter account may be out of credit, or the key's own credit limit may be used up. Click Check again in Settings > AI provider to see which."
• "Connect your OpenRouter key in Settings so your Chirps can answer."

Your visitors see only:

• "This Chirp can't answer right now because its AI service needs attention from the owner. Please try again later." (the key isn't working)
• "This Chirp can't answer right now. Please try again later." (no credit)
• "This Chirp isn't connected to an AI service yet. Please check back soon." (no key, as soon as the page opens)

Students in an Academy see "The AI tutor isn't available right now. Your lessons and progress still work."

Find the reason

1. Open Settings (or click Fix it on the dashboard) and find AI provider: OpenRouter.
2. Click Check again. Chirp Builder asks OpenRouter about the key and shows the answer on the card:
   • "Your key is working": the card says Connected, and your Chirps can answer.
   • "The key isn't working. The reason is on the card.": see The key was deleted, expired or typed wrong.
   • "The key has no credit left to use. The reason is on the card.": see There's no credit to use.
   • "Couldn't check the key with OpenRouter just now. Try again in a minute.": see OpenRouter didn't answer the check.

The key was deleted, expired or typed wrong

The card says Invalid key (1): OpenRouter doesn't accept the key anymore. The reason under it is one of:

• "OpenRouter doesn't recognize this key. It may have been deleted or typed wrong."
• "This key has expired. Create a new one at OpenRouter."
• "OpenRouter refused this key when a Chirp tried to answer a message." (a chat found the problem)
• "The saved key couldn't be read. Paste it again." (click Replace and paste the key again)

To fix it:

1. At openrouter.ai, open Keys and create a new key. Copy it. See Create your OpenRouter account and key.
2. In Chirp Builder, on the AI provider: OpenRouter card, click Replace (2).
3. Paste the key into Paste your key and click Check & save.
4. You see "Key connected", and the card says Connected.

Your Chirps answer again on the next message, and the dashboard banner goes at once. If the save shows a message instead, see Connect your OpenRouter key.

There's no credit to use

The card says Insufficient credits (1): OpenRouter accepts the key, but there's nothing left to spend with it. The reason under it tells you which:

• "This OpenRouter account has no credit left. Add credit at openrouter.ai." (or "This OpenRouter account has no credit left.")
• "This key's own credit limit is used up. Raise it at OpenRouter, or make a new key."
• "This key's spending budget at OpenRouter is used up for now."
• "OpenRouter said there was no credit when a Chirp tried to answer a message. The account may be out of credit, or this key's own credit limit may be used up. Click Check again in Settings to see which." (a chat found the problem: click Check again (2) to see which)

To fix it:

1. The account is out of credit: add credit to your account at openrouter.ai.
2. The key's own limit or budget is used up: at openrouter.ai, open Keys, edit this key and raise its credit limit. Or make a new key and click Replace here.
3. Back in Chirp Builder, click Check again (2). You see "Your key is working".

Your Chirps answer as soon as there's credit at OpenRouter, even before you click Check again. The card catches up after the next answer that works.

Chirp Builder has no monthly message cap of its own. A spending cap is a credit limit you set on the key at OpenRouter: see Keep your AI spending in check.

OpenRouter didn't answer the check

The card says Connection error, with "Couldn't reach OpenRouter to check the key." or, for example, "OpenRouter answered with an error (503). Try again in a minute."

This label only comes from a check, never from a chat, and there's no dashboard banner for it. Your Chirps may still be answering. Wait a minute and click Check again.

No key is connected

The dashboard says "Connect your OpenRouter key so your Chirps can answer. Your plan uses your own OpenRouter account for AI." with Connect key. This also happens after you click Remove on the key.

Click Connect key, paste your key and click Check & save. See Connect your OpenRouter key. Visitors who already had the Chirp's page open need to reload it.

Don't see AI provider: OpenRouter in Settings at all? Your account has no plan, and without one your Chirps don't answer whatever the key: see What you can do without a plan.

A workspace with its own key

On Creator, Business and Academy, a workspace can have its own OpenRouter key, for example a client's. Its Chirps use only that key: if it stops working, they don't switch to your account's key.

• The dashboard banner and the AI provider: OpenRouter card are about your account's key only. To see a workspace's key, open Settings, find Workspaces and click the key button on the workspace's row. Its status shows next to the key.
• In the preview, you see "This workspace's OpenRouter key isn't working anymore. Replace it in Settings > Workspaces, with the key button on the workspace's row." or "This workspace's OpenRouter key has no credit left to use: the account behind it may be out of credit, or the key's own credit limit may be used up. Fix it at openrouter.ai, then try again."
• A workspace key has no Check again. To fix it, paste a new key in its box and click Check & save, or click Remove so the workspace uses your account's key.
• After credit is added at OpenRouter, the workspace's key still says Insufficient credits until one of its Chirps answers once (a preview message is enough), or the key is saved again.

See A separate OpenRouter key for a client's workspace.

Team members

In a workspace someone shared with you, the preview says:

• "The account owner's OpenRouter key isn't working anymore. Ask the account owner to replace it."
• "The account owner's OpenRouter key has no credit left to use: their account may be out of credit, or the key's own credit limit may be used up. Ask the account owner to check it."
• "The account owner's OpenRouter key isn't connected, so this Chirp can't answer. Ask the account owner to connect it in their Settings."

Only the account owner can fix the account's key. In a shared workspace that isn't the owner's main one, you can pay for its AI yourself instead: add your key under AI billing for this workspace in Settings. See A separate OpenRouter key for a client's workspace.

Good to know

• The label is from the last check. Chirp Builder doesn't re-check your key in the background, and every chat tries the key whatever the label says. So a fix at OpenRouter works on the next message, and a key that just ran out can still say Connected until a chat fails or you click Check again.
• The label changes when you click Check again or Check & save, when a chat runs into the problem, and after the next answer that works.
• The balance is from the last check. When a chat finds a problem, the balance line leaves the card (and the dashboard) until you click Check again.
• Low balance: under $1, the card says, for example, "Low balance: about $0.62 left at OpenRouter." The key still works. There's no banner or email about it.
• A message the AI provider refused doesn't change your key's label. Visitors see "This Chirp can't answer that message. Please try asking in a different way.": see Visitors see "temporarily unavailable" or a busy message.
• Drafting quiz questions in the Academy says "The AI couldn't draft questions: OpenRouter didn't accept the account's OpenRouter key. Replace the key in Settings > AI provider, then try again." or "The AI couldn't draft questions: the OpenRouter key has no credit left to use. Add credit or raise the key's credit limit at openrouter.ai, then try again." The fix is the same.
• On Business, the OpenRouter key problem event webhook tells you when a key that was Connected stops working: see Event webhooks for your account's activity.