Getting Started

Quick Start Guide

From zero to production request in minutes: signup, free trial, first API call, and optimization.

8 minUpdated 2026-02-15

Summary

From zero to production request in minutes: signup, free trial, first API call, and optimization.

4 deep-dive sections1 code samples

Quick Start

Create account and generate your first API key.
Run first request in API Explorer.
Use Chat mode for first production prompt.
Track charges and latency in Usage.

What you get immediately

Every new account receives 40 free credits (7-day trial). One credit = one Chat request. No credit card required to start.

OpenAI-style messages format (role + content)
Chat, Compare, Blend, Judge, and Mesh modes
Unified usage + charged credits visibility
Optimization and replay workflows for policy tuning

Credits that last

Free trial credits expire after 7 days. Paid credits never expire — buy once, use whenever.

Prompt lifecycle

Client

Sends OpenAI-style request

LLMWise API

Auth, validation, policy routing

Model path

Auto/fixed/mesh failover execution

Usage settlement

Charged credits + latency log

10-minute setup

Create account in /sign-up — you receive 40 free credits instantly.
Generate an API key in /keys.
Open /api-explorer and run your first request.
Open /chat and test Auto mode.
Open /usage to confirm charged credits and response latency.

First request

curl -X POST https://llmwise.ai/api/v1/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mm_sk_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "auto",
    "optimization_goal": "balanced",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Give me a launch checklist for an AI API product."}
    ],
    "stream": true
  }'

What success looks like

In streaming mode, watch for a final done payload including:

finish_reason
resolved_model
credits_charged
credits_remaining

Activation path

Start with Chat mode first, then move to Mesh and Replay once you have enough request history to optimize routing.

Chat API reference Billing and credits Mesh mode tutorial

Docs Assistant

ChatKit-style guided help

Product-scoped assistant for LLMWise docs and API usage. It does not answer unrelated topics.

Dashboard User Guide