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API keys and profiles

Vibe Code CLI needs a Mistral API key to call hosted models. This page covers how to create the key, give it to the CLI, and switch keys between accounts or providers.

i
Information

Browser-based sign-in is enabled by default when your config targets a model with a Mistral provider. The flow provisions and stores credentials for you, so no API key is needed for typical Mistral-provider setups. This page remains useful for non-Mistral providers, automation, troubleshooting, or when you want to use a custom API key.

Where to create your API key

Where to create your API key

Where you create your API key depends on your plan:

  • Mistral plan users (Free, Pro, or higher, including partner-distributed Pro plans through Google, Apple, Free Mobile, or Orange): create your key from Code › Vibe CLI.
  • Pay-as-you-go API access (Free mode or Scale plan): create your key from Organization › API keys.
Tip

Keep keys safe:

  • Use the least-privileged key needed for the task.
  • Rotate keys regularly and revoke unused ones from the console.
  • Never paste API keys into prompts, logs, screenshots, or support tickets.
Give the API key to the CLI

Give the API key to the CLI

The CLI supports three ways to provide your key, listed in order of precedence (highest first).

1. Interactive setup (recommended)

1. Interactive setup (recommended)

On first run, the CLI starts a setup flow if it cannot find a key:

vibe

You can also rerun the setup at any time:

vibe --setup

The setup flow saves your key to ~/.vibe/.env for future sessions.

2. Environment variable

2. Environment variable

Export the key in your shell:

export MISTRAL_API_KEY="your_mistral_api_key"

Environment variables take precedence over values stored in ~/.vibe/.env.

3. .env file

3. .env file

You can also edit ~/.vibe/.env directly:

MISTRAL_API_KEY=your_mistral_api_key

The CLI loads ~/.vibe/.env automatically on startup.

Note

The .env file is for credentials only. General CLI configuration belongs in config.toml. See Configuration.

Switch between accounts or providers

Switch between accounts or providers

The CLI supports multiple providers and models through presets in config.toml. Use this to switch between, for example, a Mistral key for production work and a key from another OpenAI-compatible provider for experiments.

Define a provider preset and a model preset:

[[providers]]
name = "openrouter"
api_base = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
api_key_env_var = "OPENROUTER_API_KEY"
api_style = "openai"
backend = "generic"

[[models]]
name = "mistralai/devstral-2512:free"
provider = "openrouter"
alias = "devstral-openrouter"
temperature = 0.2
input_price = 0.0
output_price = 0.0

Set the active model:

active_model = "devstral-openrouter"

Then export the matching API key:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your_openrouter_api_key"

You can also change the active model at any time inside the CLI with /config or /model.

Plan and billing notes

Plan and billing notes

Vibe Pro plans include a monthly Vibe budget. Once exhausted, what happens next depends on a toggle in the Admin Panel under Subscriptions › Vibe subscription:

  • Toggle off (default): Vibe is disabled until the next billing period.
  • Toggle on: Vibe keeps working and additional usage is billed pay-as-you-go.

This toggle is off by default on all subscriptions and cannot be enabled on Vibe Pro plans purchased through partners (Google, Apple, Free Mobile, Orange). On those plans, Vibe is disabled once the included budget is reached.