# FAQ

> Quick answers to the most common questions about using Tchavi.

- Canonical: https://tchavi.com/en/docs/faq

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### 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](/en/docs/base-url).

### How do I pay — what payment methods are supported?

You buy credit packs from your [billing dashboard](/billing) 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](/en/docs/credits).

### 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](/en/docs/credits).

### 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](/models).

### 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](/en/docs/rate-limits).

### Is streaming supported?

Yes. Set `stream: true` to receive the response token-by-token as Server-Sent Events. See [Streaming](/en/docs/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](/register), then generate a key from the [API keys page](/api-keys). The full key is shown once at creation, so copy it right away. See [Authentication](/en/docs/authentication).