Issues with Slow Performance on New OpenAI API Key

Bailey S. · 2025-12-09T15:51:31.152Z

Hi, any reason as to why a new OpenAI API key would be slow? I'm running into lots of issues of how slow this new key is compared to the old one. just running GPT 4o-Mini and its taking ages?

Issues with Slow Performance on New OpenAI API Key | Clay

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Clay Support
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A new OpenAI API key can be slow if it's on a lower usage tier, which limits how many tokens you can process per minute. Free or tier 1 keys have much lower limits, causing slow performance with models like GPT-4o Mini. Upgrading your API key to a higher tier (like tier 2) will increase your rate limits and speed things up. You can check and upgrade your usage tier in your OpenAI account settings: OpenAI Usage Tiers. [1] [2]
Clay Support
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Is that what you were looking for?
Bailey S.
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I'm at usage tier 4, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Clay Support
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If your new OpenAI API key is slow despite being on a high usage tier, double-check that the key is correctly set up and has access to the required model and token per minute (TPM) limits. Sometimes, a new key may not inherit all previous settings or may need payment verification. Also, using your own key can be slower than Clay’s managed key, which is optimized for speed. If everything checks out and it’s still slow, there may be temporary OpenAI-side issues or delays with new keys becoming fully provisioned for higher throughput [1] [2].
Clay Support
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Did that answer your question?
Clay Support
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If you still need help with the slow API key issue, I’m here to assist further. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to resolve or understand?
Bailey S.
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human
Clay Support
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I see you're looking to speak with a human agent. Would you like me to connect you with one? Or if you provide more details about the issue, I can continue to assist you.
Bailey S.
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yes
Clay Support
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I’m routing you to our human team now. They’ll be able to assist you further.
Clay Support
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Our support team has got your message and we'll get back to you soon!
If you’re dealing with a specific table, drop the URL below so we can help you quicker. Otherwise, someone from our team will be in touch soon!
image.png(93 kB)
Bailey S.
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https://app.clay.com/workspaces/470231/workbooks/wb_0t7040364KtVhsrYGot/tables/t_0t70662QV32kVbg5VvD/views/gv_0t70662DTafnMFASsXy
Bailey S.
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i think it is working again now
Andrew Q.
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Hey Bailey! Thanks for reaching out. All Claygent columns will experience slower returns. This is a known issue that our engineering teams are working to resolve. We appreciate your patience with us as we figure it out!
1
Clay Support
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We haven't heard back from you here, so we're going to go ahead and close this thread out.
Still need help here? Reply back and someone will jump back in.
Have a question thats not related to this thread? We recommend kicking off a new ticket in the support channel!

Clay Support
APP
·
·
A new OpenAI API key can be slow if it's on a lower usage tier, which limits how many tokens you can process per minute. Free or tier 1 keys have much lower limits, causing slow performance with models like GPT-4o Mini. Upgrading your API key to a higher tier (like tier 2) will increase your rate limits and speed things up. You can check and upgrade your usage tier in your OpenAI account settings: OpenAI Usage Tiers. [1] [2]
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Is that what you were looking for?
Bailey S.
·
·
I'm at usage tier 4, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If your new OpenAI API key is slow despite being on a high usage tier, double-check that the key is correctly set up and has access to the required model and token per minute (TPM) limits. Sometimes, a new key may not inherit all previous settings or may need payment verification. Also, using your own key can be slower than Clay’s managed key, which is optimized for speed. If everything checks out and it’s still slow, there may be temporary OpenAI-side issues or delays with new keys becoming fully provisioned for higher throughput [1] [2].
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you still need help with the slow API key issue, I’m here to assist further. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to resolve or understand?
Bailey S.
·
·
human
Clay Support
APP
·
·
I see you're looking to speak with a human agent. Would you like me to connect you with one? Or if you provide more details about the issue, I can continue to assist you.
Bailey S.
·
·
yes
Clay Support
APP
·
·
I’m routing you to our human team now. They’ll be able to assist you further.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Our support team has got your message and we'll get back to you soon!
If you’re dealing with a specific table, drop the URL below so we can help you quicker. Otherwise, someone from our team will be in touch soon!
image.png(93 kB)
Bailey S.
·
·
https://app.clay.com/workspaces/470231/workbooks/wb_0t7040364KtVhsrYGot/tables/t_0t70662QV32kVbg5VvD/views/gv_0t70662DTafnMFASsXy
Bailey S.
·
·
i think it is working again now
Andrew Q.
·
·
Hey Bailey! Thanks for reaching out. All Claygent columns will experience slower returns. This is a known issue that our engineering teams are working to resolve. We appreciate your patience with us as we figure it out!
1
Clay Support
APP
·
·
We haven't heard back from you here, so we're going to go ahead and close this thread out.
Still need help here? Reply back and someone will jump back in.
Have a question thats not related to this thread? We recommend kicking off a new ticket in the support channel!