Activate Studio and generate an API key

Set up your Studio›Studio ↗ account and create an API key you can use to call Mistral models.

• Free mode: API access is enabled by default with no credit card required. Usage and rate limits apply.
• Secure key management: set expiration dates and rotate keys regularly

By the end you will have a working API key ready to use in your first request.

Time to complete: ~5 minutes

• A Mistral account ↗.

1. Open the Studio›Studio console ↗.
2. Navigate to API Keys in the left sidebar.
3. Click Create new key.

1. Add a Name to identify the key (for example, First test key).
2. Set an Expiration date. Regular rotation improves security.
3. Choose a Connector access scope:
   • Shared connectors only: access only Connectors shared with the Workspace, not your private Connectors.
   • Private and shared connectors: access both your private Connectors and the Connectors shared with the Workspace.

1. Click Create new key.
2. Copy the key immediately and store it in a secure location (password manager or secrets vault).

You have completed the setup:

1. You are in Free mode with limited usage and rate limits.
2. You have an API key stored securely.

Test the key with a quick curl request:

curl https://api.mistral.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MISTRAL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "mistral-small-latest",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Mistral!"}]
  }'

curl https://api.mistral.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MISTRAL_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "mistral-small-latest",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Mistral!"}]
  }'

A successful response confirms your key is working.