Start using Tokard, even if you have never coded

1. Get your account

   Request access and tell us a little about what you want to do. We set up your organisation and email you an invitation, usually within one business day. You will choose your own password.

   Request an account   I already have one

2. Make your key

   A key is like a password that lets your app talk to Tokard. After you sign in:

   1. Click Virtual Keys in the menu.
   2. Click Create New Key and give it a name you will recognise, such as "My website".
   3. Copy the key straight away. It is only shown once.
   Treat the key like a password. Do not post it in a chat, an email, a screenshot or a public website. If it is ever exposed, delete it in the same menu and make a new one.

3. Tell your AI assistant

   Open your assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Lovable, Replit, Bolt or similar), store your key where it asks for secrets or environment variables under the name TOKARD_API_KEY, then paste this. Change the line that starts "Here is what I want" to say what you want.

   Please use Tokard to add AI to my project.
   
   First read https://tokard.com.au/ai.md and follow it exactly.
   
   My Tokard API key is saved in an environment variable called TOKARD_API_KEY. Do not write the key into any file that gets saved or shared.
   
   Here is what I want: a chat box on my website that answers questions about my business.
   
   When you are done, run a test and tell me in plain language whether it worked.

   Copy this message

   If your assistant cannot open web links, copy the contents of tokard.com.au/ai.md and paste them in before your request.

   Not sure what to ask for? Try one of these:

   • A chat box on my website that answers questions about my business.
   • A tool that reads customer emails and drafts friendly replies.
   • An app that summarises long documents into five bullet points.
   • A script that sorts my enquiries into urgent and not urgent.

4. Check that it works

   Ask your assistant to run a test and show you the result. If something goes wrong, this table tells you what it usually means.

   What you see	What it means	What to do
   "Invalid API key"	The key is missing, mistyped or has been deleted.	Check the key is saved as TOKARD_API_KEY with no extra spaces. Make a new one if needed.
   "Model not available"	Your account has not been given that AI model.	Use tokard-auto, or ask us to enable what you need.
   "Blocked"	A safety rule stopped a request that contained sensitive details such as a card number or password.	Take the sensitive detail out and try again.
   "Too many requests" or "budget exceeded"	You hit a speed or spending limit.	Wait a minute, or ask us to raise the limit.

For developers

Tokard uses the OpenAI API format: change the base URL to https://gateway.tokard.com.au/v1, use your key and the model tokard-auto. The complete instructions, written for AI assistants and people alike, are at tokard.com.au/ai.md, and the reference is in the docs.

Questions? Email hello@tokard.com.au.