Getting an API key for Cue
Cue's Format Last Dictation sends your transcript to Anthropic or OpenAI for AI-engineered rewrites. You'll need an API key from one of them — about 5 minutes to set up, $5 or less to fund.
Which provider should I pick?
Either works. Cue uses Anthropic by default; you can switch any time in Settings → Provider. A short comparison:
Anthropic (default)
Uses claude-haiku-4-5. Often produces tighter rewrites for technical text, and costs a little less per request.
OpenAI
Uses gpt-4o-mini. Familiar setup if you've used ChatGPT, and just as quick.
You only need one. If you're unsure, start with Anthropic — it's what Cue is set to out of the box, so there's nothing to change afterwards.
Get an Anthropic API key
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Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up (or log in).
This is Anthropic's developer console — separate from Claude.ai's consumer account, though signup is quick.
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Open Settings → Plans & Billing and add a payment method, then buy credits — $5 to start is plenty.
The API is pay-as-you-go, and credits don't expire.
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Open Settings → API Keys and click Create Key.
Name it "Cue" so you can find it later. Default workspace and permissions are fine.
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Copy the key (starts with
sk-ant-…) immediately — Anthropic only shows it once. If you lose it, create a new one.
Get an OpenAI API key
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Go to platform.openai.com and sign up (or log in if you already have an account).
This is OpenAI's developer console — separate from ChatGPT's consumer account, though they share login.
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Open Billing and add a payment method. Then add credits — $5 is plenty to start.
OpenAI used to give free trial credits but no longer does. As with Anthropic, the API is pay-as-you-go and unused credits don't expire.
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Open API keys and click Create new secret key.
Name it something like "Cue" so you can identify it later. Leave the project and permissions as defaults.
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Copy the key (starts with
sk-…) right away — OpenAI only shows it once. If you lose it, just create a new one.
Pasting the key into Cue
- Open Cue's settings — ⌘,, or click the Cue icon in your menu bar and pick Settings…
- Select Provider in the sidebar.
- Paste the key (⌘V) into the field for that provider and click Save. It's stored in your Mac's Keychain — never sent to cuespeech.com.
- Pick which provider is active with the radio buttons at the top of the same pane. You can save keys for both and switch whenever you like.
Privacy & safety
- The key never leaves your Mac. Cue stores it in the macOS Keychain and only sends it to Anthropic or OpenAI when you trigger Format Last Dictation.
- Dictation transcripts go directly to the provider you chose — Anthropic or OpenAI. They follow their respective API privacy policies, which by default don't train on API requests.
- Set a usage limit in your provider's billing settings if you want a hard cap on monthly spend. Both providers let you set this in one click.
- Lost or compromised keys: revoke from the same API Keys page where you created it, then make a new one and paste it into Cue.