Scaleway Generative APIs: set up a Paris-hosted model in 10 minutes

Who is Scaleway Generative APIs a good fit for?

Scaleway suits firms that want open models run by a French cloud in Paris, with prompts not kept and not used for training.

Scaleway is a French cloud provider, part of the Iliad group. Its Generative APIs are a serverless service: you pay per use, there is no server to manage, and the API speaks the same format as OpenAI's, so Locul talks to it directly. Generative APIs run in one region today, Paris (fr-par). Scaleway has other regions such as Amsterdam and Warsaw for its other products, but not for Generative APIs.

"By default we apply a Zero Data Retention Policy"

Scaleway docs, Generative APIs data privacy

The same page says Scaleway does not read or reuse your prompts and answers, and that they are not used to train models. The one exception: if a request harms the service, Scaleway may keep data for up to two weeks to investigate and fix the issue.

"Your data is not used for training, retraining, or improving the base models."

Scaleway docs, Generative APIs data privacy

How do I create a Scaleway API key?

Open the Scaleway console, go to IAM & API keys, generate a key and copy the secret key before you close the window.

1. Sign in to the console

   Go to console.scaleway.com. A new account needs a payment method and a verified identity before Generative APIs answer.

2. Open IAM & API keys

   Click your organisation name in the top-right drop-down and choose IAM & API keys, then the API keys tab.

3. Generate the key

   Click + Generate API key. Choose the bearer (yourself, or an IAM application if you want a key that is not tied to one person), add a description such as "Locul, Camille's Mac", and pick an expiry. When asked about Object Storage, you can skip it. Click Generate API key.

4. Copy the secret key

   Scaleway shows an Access Key ID (starts with SCW) and a Secret Key. Locul needs the Secret Key. Scaleway calls this screen your only chance to save it, so paste it straight into Locul or your password manager.

What is the Scaleway Generative APIs base URL?

The base URL is https://api.scaleway.ai/v1, and the chat endpoint is /chat/completions under it.

Run this from a terminal to check the key before you open Locul. Replace the placeholder with your secret key.

# paste your key into the variable first, never into a shared file
$ export SCW_SECRET_KEY="paste-your-key-here"
$ curl https://api.scaleway.ai/v1/chat/completions \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCW_SECRET_KEY" \
    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -d '{"model":"glm-5.3","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"Reply with one word: ready"}]}'

A working key returns JSON with a choices list:

{"object":"chat.completion","model":"glm-5.3",
 "choices":[{"index":0,"message":{"role":"assistant","content":"Ready"},"finish_reason":"stop"}],
 "usage":{...}}

A 401 means the key is wrong, and a 404 on the model usually means a typo in the model name. The errors table below covers both.

Which Scaleway model should I pick in Locul?

Pick GLM-5.3: it has a 256k-token context window and handles the tool calls Locul's bots use to read files and memory.

Scaleway also hosts gpt-oss-120b, but tool calls for it only work through its Responses API, not chat completions, so Locul keeps it out of the main list.

How do I add Scaleway to Locul?

Open Settings > Model > Open models, pick Scaleway under In your region, paste the secret key and press Test.

1. Open Settings, then Model

   In the Locul desktop app, open Settings and choose Model.

2. Choose Open models

   Pick Open models (marked Recommended), then find Scaleway under In your country. Each row shows where the provider runs and whether it trains on your data.

3. Pick the model

   Under Model, choose GLM-5.3. Locul tags it Recommended.

4. Paste the key

   Under Access key, paste the key into the field and press Save and test. The Get a key link opens the right page at Scaleway if you have not made one yet.

5. Run the connection check

   Under Connection check, press Test. Ready means chat and tools both work. Ready with limits means the model can chat but could not use tools in the check, so pick another model for bots that read files.

Why does the Scaleway connection check fail?

Almost always because the Access Key ID was pasted instead of the Secret Key, or the account has no payment method yet.

What does a real request on Scaleway look like?

A messy, everyday job with client names in it, the kind of work this setup is for.

Here is the sort of message an associate at a Lyon law firm might send to a Locul bot running on Scaleway:

The lease, the amendment and the landlord's letter are processed in Paris and not kept afterwards. The bot answers in English and leaves the French clauses as they are.

How fast and how good is Scaleway in Locul?

We are timing real office tasks on Scaleway with the recommended model, and the results will be published here.

What other in-country providers work with Locul?

Five more EU and Swiss providers, each with its own guide.

Frequently asked questions

Other setup paths