API Keys
Most sources don't need keys. 13 sources do — all free, all self-serve. Keys live in your browser's localStorage and are sent only to the API they belong to.
You can use InspoSearch productively with zero keys. Adding keys unlocks more sources and better AI analysis options, not core functionality.
TL;DR — the four keys worth getting first
If you only want to add a few, start here:
- Europeana — unlocks ~60% of the dynamically-discovered sources (2,000+ European cultural providers via a single key). Highest ROI by far
- Unsplash — the main general-photography unlock
- Rijksmuseum — high-quality, high-resolution Dutch and European art
- Harvard Art Museums — deep research metadata
Everything else is incremental.
Full list
| Source | Category | Free? | Where to get a key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europeana | Historical | Yes | pro.europeana.eu/page/get-api |
| Digital Public Library of America | Historical | Yes | dp.la/info/developers/codex |
| National Library of Australia (Trove) | Historical | Yes | trove.nla.gov.au/about/create-something/using-api |
| Rijksmuseum | Museums | Yes | rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio (requires account) |
| Harvard Art Museums | Museums | Yes | harvardartmuseums.org/collections/api (request form) |
| Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian | Museums | Yes | collection.cooperhewitt.org/api |
| Unsplash | Photography | Yes | unsplash.com/developers |
| Flickr | Photography | Yes | flickr.com/services/api |
| Pixabay | Photography | Yes | pixabay.com/api/docs |
| Pexels | Photography | Yes | pexels.com/api |
| Noun Project | Art and Design | Yes | thenounproject.com/developers |
| Giphy | Art and Design | Yes | developers.giphy.com |
| YouTube (thumbnails) | Science | Yes | console.cloud.google.com — enable YouTube Data API v3 |
AI provider keys (optional)
Analysis already works without any of these — Cloudflare Workers AI (LLaVA 1.5) runs by default. BYOK is for when you want a specific model's output.
| Provider | Free tier? | Where to get a key |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | Yes | aistudio.google.com/app/apikey |
| Anthropic Claude | Trial credits | console.anthropic.com |
| OpenAI | Paid | platform.openai.com/api-keys |
| Ollama (local) | Free | Install ollama.com and set the local URL in the Keys panel |
How to add a key
- Open the app and press
k(or click the key icon in the toolbar) - Find the source in the list
- Paste your key into the input
- It saves to
localStoragethe moment you stop typing — no submit button - Close the panel and search. Results from that source start appearing
Key storage and privacy
- Keys are stored in your browser's
localStorageon your machine only - Each key is sent only to the API it belongs to — your Rijksmuseum key goes only to
api.rijksmuseum.nl - InspoSearch has no backend server for search — there is nowhere for keys to be forwarded
- Clearing browser data removes your keys (and everything else — back them up if you rely on the set)
- Remove a single key by clearing its input field in the Keys panel
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Source still empty after adding key | Key invalid, or source disabled by health check | Test the key directly at the provider's API docs; then clear the field and re-paste |
| Key disappeared | Browser data cleared | Re-paste from your notes. Consider keeping a backup list |
| 401 / Unauthorized in console | Expired or revoked key | Generate a new one at the provider |
| 429 / rate limit errors | Daily free-tier limit hit | Wait; or upgrade at the provider if available |
| Source works sometimes, fails other times | Source-side flakiness or our health-check backoff | Usually self-recovers within a minute |
When info@insposearch.org is live
We'll migrate our contact routing off the temporary Gmail address. No user action needed — your keys don't depend on our email.