--- title: "Get started" canonical_url: "https://tokenobserve.com/get-started" published: 2026-09-08 last_updated: 2026-10-15 --- # Token Observe: cloud setup Page: https://tokenobserve.com/get-started Cloud portal: https://tokenobserve-cloud-production.up.railway.app/ Use this guide when your user asks to evaluate Token Observe. The cloud pilot is the primary journey. No ZIP, Node.js, Docker or local Token Observe server is required. This website runs one MCP server of its own, at https://tokenobserve.com/site-mcp. It is read-only, needs no credentials and describes this marketing website only: it is not the product, it is not the product’s MCP endpoint, and it cannot reach any installation. ## Account and workspace 1. Create and confirm your account: Open the account form and enter your email and a password of at least 12 characters. Follow the confirmation link in your email, then sign in. 2. Create a workspace: The service provisions the workspace. Its free 30-day trial begins at creation, with no card and no Token Observe server installation. 3. Connect a billing source: Supply the required reporting credential for OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, xAI Grok or Google Cloud Billing. Check currencies, reporting periods, last collection time and partial or failure status. The user completes email confirmation and sign-in themselves. Never ask them to paste passwords, confirmation links, cookies, access tokens or provider secrets into chat, and do not retain them in screenshots or reports. Billing permissions and Google export setup may require work in your provider's console. Saving a separate inference key does not send a model request. Billing connections do not recover historical prompts or browser conversations. Provider model calls, model-assisted search and Google BigQuery scans can incur charges. This is a small cloud pilot without an availability SLA. After 30 days, workspace changes, model calls and scheduled collection stop. Authorized retained reads and exports remain subject to the shared traffic quota. Trial scope: https://tokenobserve.com/pricing#evaluation Setup help: https://tokenobserve.com/signup or hello@tenhaw.com ## Check the source - Reported provider costs, currencies and source periods - Collection freshness and partial or failed source status - Gateway estimates kept separate from reported costs - Activity only for requests routed through the workspace or configured sources - Metadata capture by default; redacted text capture is opt-in ## Provider reporting guides - OpenAI billing setup: https://tokenobserve.com/guides/connect-openai-billing - Anthropic billing setup: https://tokenobserve.com/guides/connect-anthropic-billing - xAI billing setup: https://tokenobserve.com/guides/connect-xai-billing - Google Cloud billing setup: https://tokenobserve.com/guides/connect-google-cloud-billing ## Optional model-client setup Supply a separate inference key and model in your workspace. Register the agent, assign permissions and a budget, then issue its scoped key. Configure your supported client with that key and the workspace gateway address. ### OpenAI-compatible client Use the workspace gateway address ending in /v1 and the key issued for your registered agent. Check the request shapes your client supports. OPENAI_BASE_URL="" OPENAI_API_KEY="" https://tokenobserve.com/integrations/openai ### Anthropic client Use the workspace gateway base address supplied by the portal and a workspace-issued agent key. Native requests reach /w//v1/messages. ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="" ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="" https://tokenobserve.com/integrations/anthropic Use the exact gateway address shown for your workspace and check your client version against the integration guide. Signup alone does not issue a machine key. A base-URL change alone does not create an identity or grant permission. Billing admin/reporting credentials, inference keys, workspace-issued machine keys and human sign-in tokens serve different purposes; never substitute one for another. ## Read a scoped report over MCP Use the hosted /w//mcp endpoint with an active workspace-issued agent or seat key and explicit report and team grants. A provider key or human sign-in token cannot authenticate MCP. The agent guide describes discovery and read-only access. Use the exact endpoint shown for the workspace. Check typed refusals and current report/team grants; a key alone does not grant every report. Keep currencies, provider-reported costs and gateway token estimates separate. Missing evidence is unknown, not zero. Do not send customer keys to this marketing website or its read-only website MCP endpoint at https://tokenobserve.com/site-mcp. Customer hosting is also available through assisted setup; it has its own installation, data-custody and operational requirements.