⚡ Admin Setup Guide

Get your team up and running
in under 5 minutes

Four steps to give your whole team access to AI — at a fraction of the cost of ChatGPT seats.

Add API Key

Invite Team

Set Budgets

Company Brain

Add your API Key

Your team uses your key — you only pay for actual usage, not per seat.

⏱ ~1 minute

1

Get an API key from OpenAI or Anthropic An API key is a private password that lets PennyPrompt talk to the AI on your behalf. Step-by-step guides for both providers are below.
2

Go to Admin → API Keys in PennyPrompt Click the Admin tab in the sidebar, scroll to "API Keys", paste your key, and hit Save. That's it — your whole team uses that one key.
3

You can add both providers Select OpenAI (for GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini) or Anthropic (for Claude Sonnet / Haiku). Adding both gives your team a choice of models.

Admin → API Keys

OpenAI • sk-•••••••••••••••••••••••• ✓ Active

Anthropic • sk-ant-•••••••••••••• Not added

🔒

Never share your API key. Treat it like a password. Anyone who has it can generate AI costs billed to your account. Don't paste it into emails, Slack, or anywhere other than PennyPrompt's Admin Dashboard.

ℹ️

PennyPrompt never touches your billing. API costs are charged directly by OpenAI or Anthropic to your account with them. PennyPrompt only uses your key to send requests — we never see or store your credit card or billing details.

How to get your API key

OAI

OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini)

platform.openai.com/api-keys ↗

1

Create an account at platform.openai.com Go to platform.openai.com/signup and sign up with your email. If you already have a ChatGPT account, you can sign in with the same credentials.
📺 You'll see the OpenAI Platform home with a sidebar on the left.
2

Open the API Keys page In the left sidebar, click API Keys. Or go directly to platform.openai.com/api-keys.
📺 You'll see a list of existing keys (empty if this is your first time) and a green "+ Create new secret key" button.
3

Click "+ Create new secret key" Give it a name like PennyPrompt (so you know what it's for). Leave the permissions set to the default.
4

Copy the key immediately OpenAI shows the key only once. It looks like sk-proj-abc123…. Copy it right away — you won't be able to see it again after closing the dialog.
📺 A dialog box appears with the full key and a "Copy" button.
5

Paste it into PennyPrompt → Admin → API Keys Select OpenAI as the provider, paste the key, and save. Done.

💳

Billing required: You must add a payment method to your OpenAI account before API calls will work. Go to Billing → Payment methods and add a credit card. OpenAI also requires a minimum $5 credit purchase to start. Most teams spend $5–$30/month depending on usage.

ANT

Anthropic (Claude Sonnet, Claude Haiku)

docs.anthropic.com/getting-started ↗

1

Create an account at console.anthropic.com Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up. Use your work email.
📺 You'll land on the Anthropic Console dashboard.
2

Go to Settings → API Keys In the left sidebar, click API Keys. Or navigate to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys.
📺 You'll see an "API Keys" page with a "+ Create Key" button in the top right.
3

Click "+ Create Key" Name it something like PennyPrompt. A key will be generated instantly.
4

Copy the key immediately Just like OpenAI, Anthropic only shows the full key once. It starts with sk-ant-…. Copy it before closing the window.
📺 A dialog shows the key with a "Copy" button. After you close it, you'll only see the last few characters.
5

Paste it into PennyPrompt → Admin → API Keys Select Anthropic as the provider, paste the key, and save.

💳

Credits required: Anthropic uses a prepaid credits system. Go to Settings → Billing and add credits (minimum $5). Credits are drawn down as your team uses the API. You can set up auto-recharge so you never run out mid-day.

💡

Cost tip: GPT-4o mini and Claude Haiku are 10–15× cheaper than their flagship models and handle most everyday tasks just fine. Set them as the default for your team to keep monthly costs low. Reserve GPT-4o or Claude Sonnet for complex work.

Invite Team Members

Each person gets their own login and usage tracking. No shared accounts.

⏱ ~2 minutes

1

Go to Admin → Invite Team Member Enter their work email address.
2

Set a monthly spending limit This caps how much in API costs that person can generate per month. Default is $15 — adjust as needed.
3

Send the invite They'll receive an email with a link to create their account. The link expires in 7 days.
4

Track pending invites Accepted and pending invites appear below the invite form so you know who still needs to join.

Invite Team Member

sarah@yourcompany.com Invite sent

marcus@yourcompany.com Pending

💡

Start conservative: Set limits at $10–$20/month initially. You can always increase individual limits from the Team Members section — no need to re-invite.

Set Spending Limits & Quotas

Control exactly how much each person (or team) can spend each month.

⏱ ~2 minutes

1

View per-user spend in real time Admin Dashboard shows each member's current month spend vs. their limit. Red = over budget, green = under.
2

Update a user's monthly limit Go to Admin → Team Members, find the person, and update their budget. Changes take effect immediately.
3

What happens when a limit is hit The user's next prompt is blocked with a clear message. Their access resumes on the 1st of the following month — or you can manually increase their limit sooner.

Team Members — This Month

Sarah Chen $6.20 / $15.00 41% used

Marcus Webb $14.80 / $15.00 99% used

💡

Heavy users: Power users on your team will naturally hit limits faster. It's normal — just bump their limit when you see patterns. The usage dashboard makes it obvious who to increase.

Configure Company Brain

Give AI context about your company so every response is on-brand from day one.

⏱ Optional, ~3 minutes

1

Go to Admin → System Prompts System prompts are instructions prepended to every AI conversation. They shape tone, style, and context.
2

Name your prompt clearly Examples: "Brand Voice Guidelines", "Support Tone", "Code Review Standards". Users can see the name and toggle it on/off.
3

Write the prompt Keep it focused. A 3–5 sentence prompt works better than a 3-page document. Include: company name, what you do, tone of voice, any strict rules (e.g. "never mention competitors").
4

Users toggle "Apply Company Brain" Once saved, team members see a toggle in the chat UI. When enabled, your system prompt is automatically prepended to their conversations.

System Prompt Example

Brand Voice Guidelines

You are a helpful AI assistant for Acme Corp, a B2B SaaS company. Always be professional but friendly. Avoid jargon. When writing copy, lead with customer benefits, not features.

Save Prompt →

💡

Start simple: Write one prompt with your company name and tone. You can always refine it after seeing how team members use it in practice.

Common questions

Can I use both OpenAI and Anthropic?

Yes. Add both API keys and your team can switch models in the chat dropdown. Each model tracks cost separately.

What if someone hits their budget?

Their next prompt is blocked. Go to Admin → Team Members and raise their limit — it takes effect immediately.

Are chat conversations private?

Each user's chat history is visible to them only. Admins can view usage stats but not individual message content unless Audit Log is enabled.

When do limits reset?

Monthly limits reset on the 1st of each calendar month automatically. No action needed from you.

Can I remove a team member?

Yes — go to Admin → Team Members and remove them. Their account is deactivated immediately and they can no longer log in.

Where do I see my total AI spend?

The Admin Dashboard shows total team spend this month, broken down by user and model. You'll also get a monthly summary email.

Who pays the OpenAI / Anthropic bill?

You do — directly. API costs go straight to your account with OpenAI or Anthropic. PennyPrompt never charges you for API usage and has no access to your billing details.

What if I accidentally expose my API key?

Go to your OpenAI or Anthropic console immediately, revoke the old key, and generate a new one. Then update it in PennyPrompt Admin → API Keys. This takes about 2 minutes.