assafelovic/gpt-researcher · error · Exception

Xquik API key not found. Please set the XQUIK_API_KEY enviro

Error message

Xquik API key not found. Please set the XQUIK_API_KEY environment variable. Get a key at https://xquik.com

What it means

The Xquik retriever requires an API key from xquik.com. Its __init__ calls get_api_key(), which reads os.environ['XQUIK_API_KEY']; a KeyError triggers a plain Exception explaining the variable must be set. No network activity happens before this check.

Source

Thrown at gpt_researcher/retrievers/xquik/xquik.py:32

    """
    Xquik X/Twitter search retriever.

    Searches tweets via the Xquik REST API and returns results in the
    standard {title, href, body} format used by all GPT Researcher retrievers.

    Set XQUIK_API_KEY in your environment. Get one at https://xquik.com
    """

    def __init__(self, query, query_domains=None, **kwargs):
        self.query = query
        self.query_domains = query_domains
        self.api_key = self.get_api_key()

    def get_api_key(self):
        try:
            api_key = os.environ["XQUIK_API_KEY"]
        except KeyError:
            raise Exception(
                "Xquik API key not found. Please set the XQUIK_API_KEY "
                "environment variable. Get a key at https://xquik.com"
            )
        return api_key

    def search(self, max_results=10):
        """
        Search X/Twitter via Xquik API.

        Returns:
            list: Search results as [{title, href, body}, ...]
        """
        print(f"Searching X/Twitter with query: {self.query}...")

        try:
            results = self._search_tweets(max_results)
            return results
        except Exception as e:

View on GitHub (pinned to 6f998577d5)

Solutions

Set the variable: export XQUIK_API_KEY='your-key' or add XQUIK_API_KEY=... to .env and ensure it's loaded at startup.
Inject it as a secret in Docker/CI (environment: XQUIK_API_KEY=...).
Obtain a key from https://xquik.com if you don't have one.
Pre-flight check in code: assert os.environ.get('XQUIK_API_KEY'), before constructing the retriever.

Example fix

# before
retriever = XquikRetriever(query='ai')  # raises: Xquik API key not found...

# after
import os
os.environ['XQUIK_API_KEY'] = 'your-key'
retriever = XquikRetriever(query='ai')

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import os

if not os.environ.get('XQUIK_API_KEY'):
    raise SystemExit('XQUIK_API_KEY is not set — get a key at https://xquik.com')

Try / catch

try:
    retriever = XquikRetriever(query='...')
except Exception as e:
    if 'API key not found' in str(e):
        raise SystemExit(f'Config error: {e}')
    raise

Prevention

Load .env at startup before constructing retrievers.
Validate required provider keys in one startup config check.
Use exact spelling XQUIK_API_KEY; beware autocorrect/typos.
Manage keys via environment secrets in deploy targets.

When it happens

Trigger: Instantiating the Xquik retriever (or configuring GPT Researcher with the 'xquik' retrieval provider) in a process where XQUIK_API_KEY is unset. The except KeyError converts the failed environment lookup into this message.

Common situations: Env var never exported in the current shell; secrets not wired into the container/CI job; .env file present but not loaded via dotenv; key stored under a misspelled name (XQUIKKEY_API_KEY, XQIK_API_KEY).

Understand the failure class

Background: "environment variable is not set" and "Missing keys in environment" errors: what missing required env var messages mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of assafelovic/gpt-researcher@6f998577d5 (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/90fcd739835f60da. Report an issue: GitHub.