AI API Doctor FAQ

AI API Doctor is a local-first diagnostic tool for OpenAI-compatible API users.

It helps you check whether API Keys, Base URLs, model permissions, group configurations, chat/completions interfaces, raw quota changes, and client configurations are working correctly.

It is suitable for the following scenarios:

• API Key is filled in but the client cannot use it
• Base URL is uncertain
• Model list is visible but actual requests fail
• Errors 401 / 403 / 404 / 429 appear
• Relay station reports "no access to a certain group"
• Want to verify whether usage is returned for a request
• Want to export Cline / Continue / Cherry Studio configurations

AI API Doctor is not a model authenticity verification tool, nor is it a legal audit tool.

No. The Chrome extension stores your API Key locally in your browser's chrome.storage.local.

AI API Doctor does not proactively upload your API Key to any third-party servers.

Diagnostic requests are sent only to the Base URL you currently have selected. For example, if you selected a custom relay station, the diagnostic request will be sent to that relay station's API address.

It is recommended to use a test-only API Key and not a production key.

Raw quota is the raw quota value recorded by the New API / One API backend, typically more granular than the frontend balance display.

The frontend balance often only shows two decimal places, so a change as small as $0.0001 may not be visible.

Raw quota lets you observe much finer-grained quota changes and is the primary evidence used by AI API Doctor for billing anomaly detection.

Some relay stations pre-charge quota at the start of a request, then settle and refund the difference after the request completes.

The 10-second wait is necessary to distinguish between a temporary pre-charge and a final deduction.

If the quota is restored after 10 seconds, the request likely had a pre-charge that was subsequently refunded. If the quota remains lower after 10 seconds, it may indicate a billing anomaly.

Yes. AI API Doctor sends a small number of real API requests to confirm whether your Base URL, API Key, model permissions, and chat/completions are working.

Basic diagnostics typically require only 1 to 3 requests, consuming a minimal amount.

For safety, it is recommended to:

• Use a test-only API Key
• Set a low credit limit
• Not use a production key
• Compare results against the provider's backend billing after diagnosis

This means a request failed (e.g. HTTP status ≥ 400, upstream 503, timeout, or no valid output) but the raw quota did not decrease after 10 seconds.

This is a normal result: the provider did not ultimately charge you for the failed request.

The station may have pre-charged and then refunded, or simply did not charge for the failed request in the first place.

A billing anomaly indicates that a request produced no valid output (failed request, empty reply, timeout, or invalid model) but the raw quota decreased after 10 seconds — meaning the provider ultimately deducted quota.

This is a reproducible signal. It shows that the station charged for a request that did not produce valid output.

The report generated by AI API Doctor can be shared with the provider's support team for verification.

Note: This is diagnostic evidence, not a legal audit report.

The web version does not require you to enter an API Key and runs entirely in the browser.

It cannot automatically access the New API / One API raw quota endpoint the way the Chrome extension can.

The web version is designed for users who want to manually enter raw quota data they have collected (e.g. from the provider's dashboard) to generate a shareable diagnostic report.

For automatic raw quota reading, use the Chrome extension.

No. AI API Doctor can help you check usage information from individual requests, but it cannot prove that a provider intentionally overbilled.

It can detect:

• Whether the response returns a usage field
• Whether total_tokens is abnormally high
• Whether a short request shows significantly abnormal token consumption

Final balances, deductions, and billing are controlled by the provider's backend. AI API Doctor cannot directly access all providers' real billing systems.

Its conclusions should be understood as "usage signal verification," not a financial audit in any legal sense.

AI API Doctor-generated reports automatically hide full API Keys, displaying only a desensitized format such as:

sk-****abcd

You can share the report with the provider's owner or support team to explain:

• Base URL
• Model ID
• Error code
• Provider-returned information
• Failed step details
• Usage situation

Recommended steps:

• Use a short prompt for testing to reduce per-test cost
• Record multiple diagnostic reports to check result consistency
• Contact the owner or support team for verification
• Compare against the provider's official billing

Always ensure you do not manually send a full API Key, account password, or sensitive balance screenshot to strangers.

401: Invalid or expired API Key, or extra spaces when copying.

403: Insufficient permissions — possibly no model access, group access, IP whitelist restriction, or model not added to the group.

404: Incorrect endpoint address — possibly missing /v1, extra /v1, or filled with the official website address.

429: Too many requests, concurrent limit exceeded, quota exhausted, or provider rate limiting.

HTML response: Server returned a webpage instead of API JSON — possibly filled with the site homepage, login page, Cloudflare page, or provider does not support this endpoint.

No usage: Response did not return a usage field, so token consumption cannot be verified from this response.