Set Up Your fal.ai API Key
Your fal.ai key powers Kling video generation, FLUX.2 Max image generation, Seedream 5 Lite image generation, and more in Slates. This guide walks you through every step.
Time needed: About 2 minutes.
What fal.ai gives you
fal.ai is the AI infrastructure provider that Slates uses for several models. With your own API key, you pay fal.ai directly at their rates, no markup from Slates.
| Model | What it does | fal.ai cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kling V3.0 Standard | AI video generation | ~$0.17/second |
| Kling V3.0 Pro | AI video generation (higher quality) | ~$0.22/second |
| Kling V3.0 Omni | AI video + audio generation | ~$0.17/second |
| FLUX.2 Max | AI image generation | ~$0.07/image |
| Seedream 5 Lite | AI image generation | ~$0.035/image |
Your fal.ai key also works as an alternative route for Veo 3.1 and Nano Banana 2 (which normally use a Google AI key). If you have a fal.ai key but no Google key, Slates will route those models through fal.ai automatically.
You can also use Slates Credits instead of your own key. Credits work instantly with no setup required. Your own key just means you pay fal.ai directly instead.
Step 1: Create a fal.ai account
- ›Go to fal.ai in your browser.
- ›Click Sign Up in the top-right corner.
- ›Choose how you want to sign up: Google, GitHub, or email and password. Google or GitHub is fastest since there's no email verification step.
- ›If you signed up with email, check your inbox and verify your email address.
- ›fal.ai may ask "How will you be using fal?" Pick anything. This is just a survey and doesn't affect your account.
You're now on your fal.ai dashboard. No credit card is needed to create an account.
Step 2: Generate your API key
- ›Go to the API Keys page at fal.ai/dashboard/keys. You can also get here by clicking Dashboard in the top nav, then Keys in the sidebar.
- ›Click Add Key.
- ›Your new key appears on screen. It starts with
fal_sk_followed by a long string of characters. - ›Copy the key immediately. fal.ai only shows it once. If you close this page without copying, you'll need to generate a new key.
Keep this key private. Anyone with your key can make API calls billed to your account.
Step 3: Add the key to Slates
- ›Open Slates on your desktop.
- ›Click the gear icon in the top bar to open Settings.
- ›Expand the API Keys section.
- ›Find the fal.ai field.
- ›Paste your key into the input field.
- ›Click Save.
You should see a green Configured indicator appear next to "fal.ai". You're all set. Slates will now use your fal.ai key for Kling, FLUX.2 Max, and Seedream generations.
Step 4: Add credits to your fal.ai account
New accounts come with a small amount of free credits for testing. Once those run out, you'll need to add a payment method.
- ›Go to fal.ai/dashboard/billing.
- ›Click Add Payment Method and enter your card details.
- ›Add credits to your account. fal.ai uses a prepaid balance model. You load funds and they're deducted as you generate.
You can check your remaining balance anytime at the same billing page.
How billing works
- ›Pay-as-you-go. You're only charged for what you generate.
- ›Prepaid balance. You add funds to your account, and each generation deducts from your balance.
- ›Free credits expire in 90 days. Purchased credits last 365 days.
- ›No monthly minimums. No subscriptions. No commitments.
Quick reference
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Create account | fal.ai |
| Generate API key | fal.ai/dashboard/keys |
| Check billing & credits | fal.ai/dashboard/billing |
| View pricing | fal.ai/pricing |
| Paste key in Slates | Settings → API Keys → fal.ai |
Troubleshooting
"fal.ai API key not configured"
Open Settings → API Keys and make sure the fal.ai field shows Configured in green. If not, paste your key again and click Save.
"Insufficient balance" or generation fails
Your fal.ai account may be out of credits. Go to fal.ai/dashboard/billing and add funds.
I lost my API key
No problem. Go to fal.ai/dashboard/keys, click Add Key to generate a new one, then update it in Slates Settings.