Setup

Configure API credentials and select a model provider

CAMEL-AI supports multiple model backends. Choose one below and configure your environment variables.

1. OpenAI API

Obtain your OPENAI_API_KEY from OpenAI Dashboard.

1. Unix (macOS/Linux)

   echo 'export OPENAI_API_KEY="<YOUR_KEY>"' >> ~/.zshrc
   source ~/.zshrc
   

   Replace ~/.zshrc with ~/.bashrc if using bash.

2. Windows (Permanent)

   setx OPENAI_API_KEY "<YOUR_KEY>" /M
   

   You may need to restart your terminal for changes to apply.

3. .env File (Project-specific)

   Create a .env file in your project root:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=<YOUR_KEY>
   

   Load in Python:

   from dotenv import load_dotenv
   load_dotenv()
   import os
   print(os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"))
   

To configure an API_BASE_URL (e.g., Azure), also set:

export OPENAI_API_BASE_URL="<YOUR_BASE_URL>"

2. Other Hosted APIs

For non-OpenAI providers, see Using Models by API Calling.

3. Local Models

To run fully on-device with open-source models, refer to Local Models Guide