Connect Groq to Cursor

Last verified: 2026-08-24 · Model: llama-3.1-8b-instant

Before you start

• Install Cursor on Windows
• Install Cursor on macOS

1. Get a Groq API key

1. Create a free account at console.groq.com.
2. Open API Keys and create a new key.
3. Copy the key — you will paste it into Cursor in the next step.

2. Add Groq in Cursor Settings

1. Open Cursor Settings (Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows, Cmd+Shift+J on macOS).
2. Go to the Models section.
3. Find OpenAI API Key and paste your Groq API key.
4. Enable Override OpenAI Base URL and set:

https://api.groq.com/openai/v1

5. Click Add model and enter:

llama-3.1-8b-instant

6. Select llama-3.1-8b-instant as your active model in chat.

3. Send your first prompt

1. Open the chat panel in Cursor.
2. Confirm the model picker shows llama-3.1-8b-instant.
3. Ask a simple question to verify the connection works.

Troubleshooting

• 401 / authentication error — re-copy your Groq API key with no trailing spaces.
• Model not found — add llama-3.1-8b-instant manually; Groq model IDs are case-sensitive.
• Rate limit — check Groq limits (30 RPM, 14,400 requests/day).

Limits checked against official docs on 2026-08-23. Rates change without notice. Not affiliated with providers unless noted. Verify before production use.

Other providers

Groq is the fastest path for beginners. For more models and providers, see the free API comparison and per-model free API pages.

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