FAQ

Quick answers to the most common questions about using Tchavi.

Is Tchavi OpenAI-compatible?

Yes. Tchavi is 100% compatible with the OpenAI API format. Just change the base URL and API key — the rest of your code stays the same. See Base URL.

How do I pay — what payment methods are supported?

You buy credit packs from your billing dashboard using Wave, Orange Money, MTN MoMo, and 30+ mobile money operators. Credits are added instantly after payment. There is no subscription — Tchavi is pay-as-you-go. See Credits & Billing.

Do I get free credits to start?

Yes. You start with 500 free credits on signup, so you can test the API before recharging.

How are credits calculated?

Each request consumes credits based on the model and the tokens processed. For chat models, credits = (input_tokens × rate + output_tokens × rate) per 1K tokens. Image models use a flat cost per image, TTS bills per 1K characters, transcription per minute of audio, and video per second of output. See Credits & Billing.

What models are available?

Tchavi gives you access to 50+ models across providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google through a single API key. Browse them on the models page.

Are there rate limits?

Yes — two per-minute limits apply per user: RPM (requests per minute) and TPM (tokens per minute). Both depend on your account level, which is unlocked automatically by your lifetime spend. A global IP-based limit of 500 req/min also applies. See Rate Limits.

Is streaming supported?

Yes. Set stream: true to receive the response token-by-token as Server-Sent Events. See Streaming.

What happens if a video job fails — do I get a refund?

Yes. If a video job fails after billing (for example, an upstream error or timeout), the charged credits are automatically refunded.

How do I get an API key?

Create an account, then generate a key from the API keys page. The full key is shown once at creation, so copy it right away. See Authentication.