Buy inference

One API key, every model, pay per token in USDC on Arc. New keys get a $0.25 free trial — point any OpenAI-compatible tool at Obol and start immediately; fund your own wallet for more.

Set up your account

1. 1
   Sign in

   Open the app and sign in with a wallet, email, or Google. A non-custodial wallet is created for you if you don't bring one — it lives on Arc, the network Obol settles on.
2. 2
   Get your API key

   A key is minted automatically on first sign-in. It carries your balance and model permissions. Manage or rotate keys under API Keys. The secret is shown once — copy it then.
3. 3
   Start on the free trial, fund for more

   Every new key gets a $0.25 free trial — enough to try it in Cursor or the Playground right away. For more, fund your own Circle wallet on the Funding page: the USDC stays in your wallet and is drawn per call (non-custodial).

Make your first call

Obol is OpenAI-compatible. Set the base URL to your Obol backend (not the web dashboard) and your key, and use model: "auto" to let it route:

curl https://obolservice.onrender.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OBOL_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"auto","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Summarize this PR"}]}'

The response carries metering headers so you always know what happened:

x-obol-route:          node:sup_...   # which node (or first-party) served it
x-obol-supplier:       sup_...         # the node id, if a marketplace node
x-obol-cost-micro:     2               # what this call cost (µUSDC)
x-obol-remaining-micro: 2999998        # budget left

Use it from your tools

Anything that speaks the OpenAI API works — set the base URL to your Obol backend and the API key to your Obol key:

# Cursor / Aider / OpenAI SDK — point at the Obol backend, not the web dashboard
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://obolservice.onrender.com/v1
OPENAI_API_KEY=obol_your_key

Never overpay: minimum-discount routing

Send an x-obol-min-discount header (0–100) to require that a node beats the direct price by at least that much. If no route qualifies, you get a 503 instead of an overpay — the marketplace works for you, not against you.