Get a free Gemini API key and connect it to Wabo

What you need

Wabo AI Assistant does not include its own AI. It sends each customer message, together with your catalog and instructions, to Google Gemini using an API key that belongs to you. That means you control the account, the spending and the limits. All you need is a Google account and a few minutes.

If you have not installed the app yet, start with installing Wabo and the first launch. You can add the key during the setup wizard or later from the AI screen.

Step by step

1. Open Google AI Studio. Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey and sign in with the Google account you want to use for the business.
2. Create an API key. Accept Google's terms if asked, then use Create API key. For a new account, AI Studio usually creates a default project and a key for you. If you already use Google Cloud, you may need to choose or import a project first. Google changes this screen from time to time, so follow what you see.
3. Copy the key. Treat it like a password. Anyone who has it can use your quota.
4. Add a connection in Wabo. Open AI in the left menu and click Add connection. In the setup wizard, the same form appears in the AI step. Give it a Name (for example "Gemini free") and paste the key into API key.
5. Pick the tier and model. Under Which tier is this key on? choose Free tier or Paid (billing enabled). This only tells Wabo how to calculate cost on the Usage screen. In the model list, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite in the Economical group is marked Recommended. You can click Check the models in my account to see which models your key can reach.
6. Save and test. Click Save and test connection. Wabo sends a short test request; Connection works with a sample reply means you are ready. If you see Connection test failed, check that the whole key was pasted.
7. Add a backup connection. Repeat the steps with a second key. It is added to the end of the queue automatically.

Free tier or paid tier?

The free tier is a good way to try Wabo and to run a small shop with few messages. It has daily request limits, and when they are reached the key stops working until the limit resets.

There is a more important difference: data use. Google's terms for unpaid services allow Google to use submitted content to improve its products, and they advise against sending personal information there. Your customers' messages can contain names, phone numbers and addresses. Wabo warns you about this when you pick Free tier. Paid-tier terms are different. Read Google's current Gemini API terms yourself, but for real customer conversations we recommend a project with billing enabled.

How the backup queue works

On the AI screen, the Order of use card lists your connections. The first one is the Primary connection; the others are marked Backup. With If there's a problem, continue with the next one switched on, Wabo moves to the next connection when a key runs out of quota, becomes invalid or Google does not answer. The customer gets a reply as usual, and you receive one notification. The failing connection rests for a while and Wabo then goes back to the first one.

Two common setups:

• Free first, paid second: low cost, and the paid key takes over when the free quota is used up.
• Paid key 1, paid key 2: two separate accounts or projects, so one outage does not stop replies.

Keys created in the same Google project share the same quota, so a backup key from the same project will not help when the quota is full. Create it in a different project.

A connection you remove from the queue stays under Connections not in the queue. The agent does not use it, but you can still try it in Test chat, which is handy for comparing models. See training your assistant for how to test answers side by side.

Next steps

With the AI connected, link your WhatsApp and add your products. Wabo works without a license for setup and testing; only WhatsApp replies need one. See pricing when you are ready.