Stack Exchange key
Stack Exchange is the one data source that works without a key, so this one is optional. Adding a free Stack Apps key just raises your daily quota across the network.
What it unlocks
Monitoring already works keyless for:
- Stack Overflow, Server Fault, Super User, Ask Ubuntu, and the rest of the Stack Exchange network.
A key doesn't add platforms; it raises the request quota, so it's worth adding once you're watching more than a few keywords here.
Get your API key
- Go to Stack Apps → Register a new OAuth app and sign in with your Stack Exchange account.
- Fill in a name and any URL (OAuth Domain can be
localhost; BackTalk only uses the resulting key, not the OAuth flow). - Register the app, then copy the Key it issues (not the client id or secret).
Add it in BackTalk
- Go to Settings and find the Stack Exchange card under Data sources.
- Paste the Key.
- Save. BackTalk validates and stores it encrypted. You can remove it any time to fall back to the keyless (lower) limit.
Quota
- Without a key: a low daily request limit shared by IP, fine for a handful of keywords.
- With a free key: the quota rises to 10,000 requests/day across the Stack Exchange network.
There's no dollar cost either way.
Troubleshooting
- Hitting the limit without a key. That's the keyless quota. Add a Stack Apps key to raise it.
- "The provider rejected that API key." Copy the Key field from your Stack Apps registration (not the client id or secret), then re-paste.
- Still rate-limited with a key. Very large keyword sets can exhaust even the raised quota; spread keywords across sources or reduce them.
Your key stays private. It's encrypted at rest and only decrypted server-side at sync time. It is never returned to your browser and never logged. Settings shows only a masked hint.
Replacing your key: paste a new Stack Apps key into Settings to replace the old one, or remove it to fall back to the keyless limit.