Trial keys are not for production or commercial use
Cohere's pricing page says trial keys are free but rate limited and cannot be used for production or commercial purposes. Use a production key for live apps. [2]
Guides · ai · Popular APIs
Cohere API
Cohere dashboard account with a free, rate-limited trial key; an Owner completes "Go to Production" and adds a payment method to create paid production keys.
Researched · not yet run liveLast researched 25 October 2026 · Cohere · provider site
Researched, not yet run live. Built from the provider’s official pages (linked below). A person hasn’t walked this flow end to end yet, so check each step against the source.
Who owns what
One Cohere dashboard account belongs to an organisation (team). Owners handle production access and billing; Users can create trial keys and, after an Owner goes to production, production keys.
- Cohere dashboard account personal owned by the person
- Cohere organisation (team) organisation owned by the company · under Cohere dashboard accountOwner role is needed to complete Go to Production and manage payment information.
Teammates are invited from the dashboard Team page; people who already have a Cohere account must be added via support@cohere.com.
Have ready
- An email address to sign up for a Cohere account
- Owner role in the Cohere organisation for production access and billing: A User can ask an Owner to complete Go to Production.
- Payment card for pay-as-you-go production usage · Production keys are billed pay-as-you-go [2]Needed for: Add a payment method
Steps
Steps marked “human step” are ones only you can do: verapli never signs in, submits, pays or accepts terms for you.
Sign up for a Cohere account
You create the account yourself at the Cohere dashboard. A trial key is available after sign-up.
Where: https://dashboard.cohere.com/
Create or copy a trial key (evaluation only)optional
Trial keys are free but limited (1,000 API calls a month and low per-endpoint rate limits) and are not for production or commercial use.
verapli captures
COHERE_TRIAL_API_KEYhere by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.Where: https://dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys
Complete the Go to Production form (Owner)
An Owner acknowledges Cohere's SaaS agreement and terms of service, confirms the model documentation was reviewed, and answers whether the use case is sensitive. You accept the terms yourself.
- The provider says
- Production key available immediately; sensitive use cases may stay trial-rate-limited until reviewed, which takes no longer than 72 business hours. [5]
Add a payment method
An Owner adds payment details on Cohere's billing page. verapli never touches payment details. Optionally set a monthly spending limit under Billing & Usage.
If something goes wrong (1)
- Requests fail with HTTP 402: Add or update the payment method at dashboard.cohere.com/billing?tab=payment. [7]
Where: https://dashboard.cohere.com/billing?tab=payment
Create a production API key
On the API keys page, create a production key and copy it; verapli writes it to your env file.
verapli captures
COHERE_API_KEYhere by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.Where: https://dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys
Terms and gotchas
Plain-English summary, not legal advice. Each card links its source.
Public-facing apps must disclose AI
The Usage Policy requires public-facing applications such as chatbots to tell users they are interacting with an AI system, requires end users to agree to substantially similar terms, and requires extra safeguards (e.g. age verification, moderation) for apps serving minors. [8]
Prohibited and high-risk uses
The Usage Policy bars uses including CSAM, violence, illegal activity, weapons, privacy violations, security compromise, surveillance, deceptive practices, election misinformation, jailbreaking or prompt injection, and high-risk automated decisions about individuals. Cohere may restrict, suspend or terminate access for violations. [8]
Sensitive use cases are reviewed
If you declare a sensitive use case in Go to Production, the production key may be rate limited like a trial key until Cohere's safety team approves it (no longer than 72 business hours). [5]
What you end up with
| Env var | Secret | Format | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
COHERE_API_KEY | secret | [to verify: key format not documented]… | Cohere production API key (paid, pay-as-you-go) |
COHERE_TRIAL_API_KEY | secret | [to verify: key format not documented]… | Cohere trial key for evaluation only |
Pricing
- Free tier: Trial key usage is free but limited to 1,000 API calls a month with low per-endpoint rate limits (e.g. 20 requests/min for chat models).
- Costs: Production keys are pay-as-you-go; the bill is issued at the end of each calendar month or when the outstanding balance reaches $250. The public pricing page lists per-token prices only for legacy models (e.g. Command R+ 08-2024 at $2.50 / $10.00 per 1M input/output tokens); current model prices [to verify].
- Monthly spending limit can be set under Billing & Usage > Spending Limit. Rate limit increases via support@cohere.com; newer models via sales@cohere.com.
Source [2]
For agents
The same entry as JSON: /api/v1/entries/cohere/api · requirements /api/v1/requirements/cohere/api · terms /api/v1/terms/cohere/api.
Remote MCP (read-only, no auth)
claude mcp add --transport http verapli https://verapli.com/mcp
> "What do I need for Cohere API, and how long will it take?"
→ tools/call requirements { "provider_id": "cohere/api" }Sources
- Different Types of API Keys and Rate Limits Trial vs production keys, created on dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys; trial limited to 1,000 API calls a month and per-endpoint rate limits; production limits; contacts for increases · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Cohere pricing Trial key calls are free but rate limited and not for production or commercial use; production keys billed pay-as-you-go, billed monthly or at $250 outstanding balance; legacy model prices · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- How Does Cohere's Pricing Work? Trial keys obtained by signing up for a Cohere account; trial vs production distinction · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Frequently Asked Questions About Cohere Production key needs org admin; under three minutes; monthly spending limit under Billing & Usage; keys may have an expiration date · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Going Live with a Cohere Model Go to Production requires acknowledging the SaaS agreement and terms of service, reviewing model documentation, answering the sensitive use case question; sensitive use cases reviewed within 72 business hours · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Teams and Roles on the Cohere Platform Owner and User roles; production keys only after an Owner completes the Go to Production form; Owners manage payment information; inviting teammates · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Errors (status codes and description) 402 error points to dashboard.cohere.com/billing?tab=payment to add or update a payment method · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
- Cohere Usage Policy Prohibited uses, AI disclosure for public-facing applications, minors safeguards, suspension for violations · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
Provider rules change. This page is generated from verapli registry version 2026.1025.316; spotted something out of date? Tell us. Cohere is not affiliated with verapli.