---
title: "Use a shared model"
description: "Accept access to someone's model, create an API key, and make a request."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.noket.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use a shared model

Someone who owns a model can give your account access to it. Once you have access, you call the model
with your own Noket API key, using the OpenAI or Anthropic SDK — the owner's credentials are never
involved.

## Before you start

You need a Noket account and either an invitation link or the email address the owner added. If the
owner shared with your existing account, the model is already waiting for you.

## 1. Sign in or accept the invitation

Sign in at [noket.dev/login](https://noket.dev/login). If you received an invitation link of the form
`/invite/<token>`, open it while signed in. The link works once, and the access it grants can expire —
the model's page tells you when.

See [Sign in](https://docs.noket.dev/console/sign-in/) for verification and sessions.

## 2. Find the model and its id

Open [Models](https://noket.dev/models). Models you did not create are marked **Shared**. Open the
model and look at **Calling configuration**: it shows the model id, the base URL, your spent and
available budget, and when your access ends.

The id is `owner-username/slug`, for example `alice/llama-3.1-8b`. That is the value you pass as
`model` in a request. Ask the owner which API format the model uses — OpenAI or Anthropic — if it is
not shown on the model.

## 3. Create an API key

1. Open [API keys](https://noket.dev/api-keys) and choose **Create key**.
2. Name it after where it will run, for example `laptop` or `prod-backend`.
3. Copy the value from the dialog. It is shown once.

A key belongs to your account and can call every model your account can call, including every model
shared with you. It does not have its own spending limit; your limit is the one the owner set for you,
plus the model's own budget.

See [API keys](https://docs.noket.dev/console/api-keys/) for renaming, deleting, and what happens when access changes.

## 4. Make a request

For an OpenAI-format model:

```bash
curl https://api.noket.dev/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "alice/llama-3.1-8b",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
  }'
```

For an Anthropic-format model:

```bash
curl https://api.noket.dev/anthropic/v1/messages \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "alice/claude-sonnet",
    "max_tokens": 256,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
  }'
```

To use an SDK, point it at Noket instead of the provider:

```python
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.noket.dev/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_API_KEY",
)

reply = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="alice/llama-3.1-8b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}],
)
```

See [API](https://docs.noket.dev/api/) for the route list, error shapes, and more examples.

## 5. Watch your usage

[Usage](https://noket.dev/usage) shows what you have called and what it cost. As a member, you see
your own requests only. If a request fails because your budget or the model's budget is exhausted, the
API refuses it with `429`; the model page shows the spent amount and, for a periodic budget, when it
resets.

## If something fails

| Response | Meaning | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `401` | Missing or incorrect API key | Copy the key again from API keys. |
| `404` with `model_not_found` | The id is wrong, or your access ended | Check the id on the model page; ask the owner about access. |
| `429` | A rate limit or a budget is exhausted | Check the model page; wait for the period to reset or ask the owner. |
| `502` or `504` | The machine or API behind the model failed | Try again; the owner can check [Logs](https://docs.noket.dev/console/logs/). |

## Next

- [API authentication](https://docs.noket.dev/api/authentication/)
- [Errors and limits](https://docs.noket.dev/api/errors/)
- [Usage](https://docs.noket.dev/console/usage/)

Source: https://docs.noket.dev/quickstarts/use-a-shared-model/index.mdx