# OpenAI

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The OpenAI provider authenticates the **Codex agent** — and the **opencode agent** when it runs OpenAI models — with an OpenAI API key from your own OpenAI account. Usage is billed by OpenAI directly.

If you're new to configuring providers, start with the [LLM Providers](/docs/ai-providers/llm-providers/) overview — it covers where the settings live, how keys are stored, and how rotation works for every provider.

## Adding an OpenAI key

1. Create a key at <a href="https://platform.openai.com/api-keys" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">platform.openai.com/api-keys</a>.
2. In the dashboard, go to **Organization Settings → Agents → LLM Providers**.
3. On the **OpenAI Direct** card, paste the key into the **API key** field. It starts with `sk-`.
4. Click **Save**.

You'll get an "OpenAI Direct saved" confirmation, and the field collapses to a masked display.

## Rotating

Click **Replace** next to the masked key, paste the new one, and save. The existing key stays active until the new one is saved — see [Rotating a key](/docs/ai-providers/llm-providers/#rotating-a-key). **Remove** deletes the credential entirely.

## Troubleshooting

- **"API key looks too short"** — you probably copied a partial value. Re-copy the whole key from the OpenAI console.
- **A Task fails with an authentication error** — the saved key may have been revoked or may have hit a spend limit. Check the key's status in the OpenAI console, then rotate it using **Replace**.
- **Runs fail after switching agents** — the OpenAI key serves the Codex agent, and opencode on OpenAI models. If you've switched to the Claude Code agent or an Anthropic model, configure [Anthropic](/docs/ai-providers/anthropic/) as well; agents never fall back to another provider's key.

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Source: https://deployment.io/docs/ai-providers/openai/