Why can I not use a Qianfan key?

The financial API uses BCE-signed cloud AK/SK, not a model Bearer key, application key, OAuth token, or primary-account key.

Why is there no balance-only JSON policy?

FCReadAccessPolicy is documented, but a usable single-action policy is not confirmed. This broader system policy still requires live sub-user verification.

Why is FCReadAccessPolicy missing or access denied?

Have an administrator check system policies in the correct account, attachment to the key-owning user, explicit denies, and organization restrictions. Ask Baidu support using redacted codes and times, never SK or administrator keys.

What if the Secret Key is lost or rejected?

Have an administrator create a replacement pair for the dedicated user and update it securely. Do not disable production keys. Check copying and active status; persistent time errors require a server-clock check.

Why does cash differ from Qianfan available capacity?

cashBalance excludes credit, vouchers, packs, and restricted-fund breakdowns. Compare the same account, field, and time without adding amounts or inferring model availability.

Baidu AI Cloud Cash Balance and Read-Only Finance Setup

Live test reported

Guide updated 2026-10-01

A user reported a working balance connection on October 1, 2026. Exact amounts, sub-user policies, restricted-fund scope, and MCP reconciliation were not independently recorded. Steps follow official docs and were not individually tested in the cloud console.

Required credentials: Sub-user Access Key ID + Secret Access Key
Monitoring currency: CNY · Chinese yuan
What is monitored: Cloud account cash balance; Official cashBalance, without estimation or adding credit. It belongs to the shared cloud account, not Qianfan, a key, or a project. Online and custom-billing restricted funds may differ; the API does not split them. Check applicability in the finance console.

Connect Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) to Quota Monitor

Confirm the China account and cash balance
Open Finance → Billing Overview → Account Overview for the actual Qianfan payer. Confirm CNY cash and restricted-fund scope. Ask finance about enterprise, delegated, or custom billing. Stop if the site or currency differs.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Have an administrator open sub-user management
From the account menu, open Multi-user Access Control → User Management → Sub-users → Create Sub-user. IAM manages identities inside the existing account; no new Baidu account is needed. The administrator configures access without submitting their own key.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Create a programmatic-only user
Use a dedicated name such as quota-monitor. Enable programmatic access without a console password, administrator templates, or privileged groups. Do not change a user used by another business.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Save the initial AK/SK pair
Securely copy or download the matching ID and Secret when created. Since May 15, 2025, secrets are provided in plaintext only at creation. If missing, use the later replacement-key step. Never copy the primary account’s keys.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Attach the finance read-only system policy
In the user’s Permissions, select FCReadAccessPolicy, the finance read-only policy. No custom JSON, region, or project ID is needed. It also allows financial records, invoices, contracts, orders, and vouchers, but not payment or order cancellation. Do not select FCFullControlPolicy, FCOrderAccessPolicy, or administrator permissions.
Confirm the policy appears on the user. The balance docs do not detail its authorization mapping; verify the first real query without bypassing failure with full-access keys.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Review all effective permissions
Check direct policies, groups, explicit denies, organizational limits, and source restrictions. Keep only the financial read access you accept storing. If broader bill access is unacceptable, do not connect; no confirmed balance-only action is offered.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Create a replacement key if needed
If a matching pair is already saved, skip this. Otherwise have an administrator create one under this sub-user’s AccessKey management, complete verification, and save it securely. Do not grant IAM management access or disable unrelated keys. Long-term credentials only; STS is unsupported.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)
Connect Baidu AI Cloud
In your project, select the Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan China connection and enter AK/SK in the masked fields. No region, endpoint, Qianfan project ID, or model key is needed. Save and wait for sync. Credentials are encrypted together; only the AK’s last four characters appear.
Compare official cash balance
Refresh and compare the same account, CNY cash field, and time in the finance console. Do not compare credit, available funds, resource packs, or project budgets. Investigate restricted funds, payer relationships, and settlement delays. Failed refreshes leave historical snapshots; top-ups happen only on the official platform.
Open official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) page(opens in a new tab)

What Quota Monitor reads from Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China)

Currency is not returned. Only China CNY accounts are supported; other sites or billing currencies cannot use this connection.
Credit allowance, vouchers, resource packs, free tokens, and Coding Plan quotas are excluded. This is not withdrawable funds or a guarantee of model availability.
Snapshots may lag settlement or depend on restricted funds and enterprise payer relationships. Do not add the same account funds across projects.
The official finance read-only system policy is documented, but no confirmed single-action balance policy is provided. We do not invent a policy JSON or claim live sub-user authorization was verified.
The dashboard shows the latest successful snapshot. Manual refresh queries the provider again but cannot eliminate upstream billing delays. An old balance is not a new result after a failed query.

Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) FAQ and troubleshooting

Why can I not use a Qianfan key?: The financial API uses BCE-signed cloud AK/SK, not a model Bearer key, application key, OAuth token, or primary-account key.
Why is there no balance-only JSON policy?: FCReadAccessPolicy is documented, but a usable single-action policy is not confirmed. This broader system policy still requires live sub-user verification.
Why is FCReadAccessPolicy missing or access denied?: Have an administrator check system policies in the correct account, attachment to the key-owning user, explicit denies, and organization restrictions. Ask Baidu support using redacted codes and times, never SK or administrator keys.
What if the Secret Key is lost or rejected?: Have an administrator create a replacement pair for the dedicated user and update it securely. Do not disable production keys. Check copying and active status; persistent time errors require a server-clock check.
Why does cash differ from Qianfan available capacity?: cashBalance excludes credit, vouchers, packs, and restricted-fund breakdowns. Compare the same account, field, and time without adding amounts or inferring model availability.

Official Baidu AI Cloud / Qianfan (China) references

Prepared by Quota Monitor, not an official provider tutorial. Interfaces and permissions may change; check official pages. Verification is limited to the scope stated here.