"How to Use Janitor AI (Proxy & API Key Setup)"
Last updated July 2026 · Suony
Pick a bot, then connect a model via your own API key or a proxy in settings; free proxies can log your chats, so choose carefully.
To use Janitor AI you first pick a bot, then connect it to a language model, either with your own API key or through a proxy. That connection step is what confuses most newcomers, so here is the plain-English version, including the safety caveat nobody mentions.
Use Janitor AI step by step
- Open Janitor AI in your browser and create an account if needed.
- Browse and choose a bot from the library, or make your own.
- Open the chat settings for the model configuration. This is where you connect an AI model.
- Choose your connection method: your own API key, or a proxy.
- If using an API key, get a key from a supported model provider and paste it into the configuration.
- If using a proxy, paste the proxy address and any password it requires.
- Save and test by sending a message. If you get an error, the key, proxy, or model choice is usually the culprit.
API key vs proxy: what's the difference
Both give the bot a brain, but the trust model is very different.
| Method | What it is | Main risk |
|---|---|---|
| Your own API key | You pay a provider directly | Usage costs, key must be kept private |
| Proxy | A shared middleman routes your chats | It can log or read your conversations |
An API key means you have your own account with a model provider and you pay for your own usage. Your chats go to that provider under your credentials.
A proxy is a shared connection, often run by a third party, that supplies model access to many users. It is convenient because you skip getting your own key, but it comes with a real catch.
Safety caveat: free proxies can read your chats
This is the important part. A free or public proxy is a middleman that your entire conversation passes through. Whoever runs it can, in principle, log, read, or store what you send. For intimate or personal roleplay, that is a meaningful privacy risk. If you use a proxy, prefer a source you trust, assume nothing is private, and never share anything you would not want logged. Our Is Janitor AI Safe? guide goes deeper on this.
The zero-setup alternative
All of that setup exists because Janitor AI does not host a model for you. Suony does. It runs uncensored AI chat with no API key, no proxy, and no sign-up to start. You just open a chat and talk. On top of that, you can build a bot in minutes with the AI character creator, and every character is a token you own on-chain and earn from. Our Janitor AI alternative breakdown compares the two side by side.
And if you're leaving anyway...
Tired of chasing working proxies? Try uncensored AI chat that runs with zero setup, free to start and no account required, and keep your conversations off a stranger's proxy.