How to Get an API Key

Waffler needs an API key to convert your speech to text. Think of it like a password that connects the app to the transcription service. It takes about 2 minutes to set up.

Your API key is private — treat it like a password. Never share it publicly, paste it in a chat, or commit it to code. Waffler stores it locally on your machine and never sends it anywhere except directly to the API provider.

1

Groq Recommended

Groq is fast and has a generous free tier — most users never need to pay. This is the best option for getting started.

1

Create a Groq account

Go to console.groq.com and sign up with Google or email. It's free.

2

Create an API key

Once logged in, go to console.groq.com/keys. Click "Create API Key", give it a name (e.g. "Waffler"), and click create.

3

Copy the key

Your key will start with gsk_. Copy it immediately — Groq only shows it once. If you lose it, just create a new one.

4

Paste it into Waffler

Open Waffler, and the setup wizard will ask for your API key. Paste it in and you're done.

2

OpenAI

OpenAI's Whisper is the most widely used speech-to-text model. It's pay-as-you-go — roughly $0.006 per minute of audio (about 36p per hour). You'll need to add credit to your account.

1

Create an OpenAI account

Go to platform.openai.com/signup and create an account. This is the API platform — it's separate from ChatGPT.

2

Add credit

Go to Billing and add a small amount of credit ($5 is plenty to start — it'll last hundreds of transcriptions).

3

Create an API key

Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys. Click "Create new secret key", name it "Waffler", and click create.

4

Copy the key

Your key will start with sk-. Copy it immediately — OpenAI only shows it once.

5

Paste it into Waffler

Open Waffler, and the setup wizard will ask for your API key. Paste it in and you're done.

Got your key? You're all set.

Download Waffler