# $API

> Hold $API to receive eligible creator-fee rewards in SOL, or opt in to AI credits worth 1.5x the USD value of your reward share. Spend available credits through an OpenAI-compatible gateway.

This is the product guide for AI assistants helping a user get started. Holding tokens does not automatically configure a client or guarantee available credits. The default reward election is SOL. Credit rewards require opting in, meeting eligibility rules, and a completed allocation. Fees and payouts depend on trading activity. The target allocation interval is 10 minutes, not a guarantee.

## Start here

- [Agent skill](https://holdapi.lol/skills/holdapi/SKILL.md): Setup workflow for Claude, Codex, and other coding agents. Can be read directly; installing it is optional.
- [Reward guide](https://holdapi.lol/docs): Eligibility, SOL versus credits, payout timing, and common questions.
- [Developer guide](https://holdapi.lol/developers): Supported endpoints, setup examples, billing, and error handling.
- [Dashboard](https://holdapi.lol/dashboard): The user signs in with a wallet message, selects AI credits, and creates or revokes keys.

## Gateway

Base URL: https://holdapi.lol/v1
Authentication: Authorization: Bearer followed by the user's full api_ key.

Supported authenticated endpoints:
- GET /v1/models: Discover current provider/model IDs and pricing. Each row carries a type: chat rows are priced per million tokens, video rows per second. Do not guess model IDs.
- GET /v1/balance: Read the current credit balance.
- POST /v1/chat/completions: Chat Completions, including supported streaming requests.
- POST /v1/images/generations: Image generation with a verified supported image model. The default account catalog does not list image models; do not infer them from chat IDs.
- POST /v1/videos/generations: Start a video job with a video model from /v1/models and a prompt. Answers 202 with a job id and a poll_url. Priced per second of clip.
- GET /v1/videos/generations/{id}: Poll that job with the same key. 202 while it renders, 200 with the clip URL when it completes. Polling is free. Credits are charged on the completing poll and released if the job fails.

Responses, Assistants, embeddings, audio and file uploads are not implemented. Only configure tools that accept a custom OpenAI base URL and support Chat Completions. This gateway is not a replacement for the Claude or Codex account running the setup agent.

## Setup boundaries

The user handles purchases, wallet approval, reward election, and key creation in the dashboard. Never ask for a seed phrase or private key. Store API keys in a local ignored environment file or a server secret, never public browser code, a commit, logs, or chat. Read balance and models before requesting a paid test. Confirm a paid test's model and output limit with the user unless their existing request already authorizes it. Do not retry uncertain paid requests automatically.

## Billing

Requests reserve estimated or quoted cost before execution. Available credit must cover the reservation and requests must fit the per-call spending ceiling. Settlement can release a difference or record an unpaid usage shortfall. Future earned credits first repay that shortfall. A timeout does not prove a request was free. See the developer guide for error meanings and current behavior.