An API key is a private password that unlocks access to an AI service — Claude, GPT, Gemini, and others. When you ask the AI a question in AuthorAware, a small program running on your computer (the proxy) uses your key to contact the AI on your behalf. The key never travels through your browser; it stays on your machine. You get one by signing up at the AI provider's website. They charge a small amount based on how much you use — typically a few cents per conversation.

GitHub is a website that stores files and keeps a permanent, timestamped record of every change ever made to them. Programmers have used it for thirty years to collaborate on code — but it works just as well for any writing. When you back up a checkpoint to GitHub, it creates an immutable record of your draft at that exact moment. If you ever need to prove your work existed on a specific date, or recover an earlier version, it's all there. Repositories can be set to private so only you can see them. It's free.

With AI tools now everywhere, GitHub has become the single most reliable way for anyone — writer, researcher, student — to maintain a verifiable history of their own work. If you can save a file, you can use GitHub.

An access token is a limited key that lets AuthorAware write to your GitHub repository without your actual account password. Think of it like a valet key — it opens only the specific door you choose, and you can cancel it at any time from your GitHub settings without changing your password. GitHub generates it for you in a few clicks; you paste it into AuthorAware once, and it's stored locally on your machine.