Client playbook
Set up your AI account
If your project uses AI, you cover the provider costs on your own account. We help you get set up, then you hand us an API key so we can connect the feature. You keep ownership of the account and can change or cancel anytime.
- 01
Choose your provider
Most projects use OpenAI. Some use Anthropic (Claude) or another provider if there’s a clear reason. We’ll recommend one when we scope the work — you create the account in your business name.
- 02
Create the account with your business email
Sign up at the provider’s website using a company email (not a personal one if you can help it). Complete any verification they ask for.
- 03
Add a payment method
AI usage is billed to you by the provider. Add a card or invoice billing on their dashboard. Set a monthly spend limit if they offer one — it stops surprise bills.
- 04
Create an API key
In the provider dashboard, open API keys (or equivalent) and create a new key. Name it something clear, e.g. “North & Form — [project name]”. Copy it once — many providers only show the full key at creation.
- 05
Share the key securely
Do not paste API keys into email or Slack if you can avoid it. Prefer a password manager share link, or a short call where we confirm it’s stored in the project environment. We’ll never commit keys to public code.
- 06
We wire it into the build
Once we have the key (or you’ve added it in the hosting dashboard yourself), we connect the AI features, test them, and leave you with ownership of the account and billing.
Good to know
- You own the AI account and the bill from day one — same idea as hosting.
- We help with setup; we don’t resell AI credits or mark up API usage.
- You can rotate or revoke the key anytime in the provider dashboard.
- If spend looks high later, we can tighten limits or change how often the AI runs.