Fix FAL_KEY Is Not Set in Universal Modder

Set your fal key in the environment that starts um or the agent's fal connection, then retry the relevant check. Installing the Universal Modder skills does not create a fal account or supply its credentials.

The error message

When it finds no key, key-file setting or .env, Universal Modder 0.2.0 stops at its credential check and prints this message:

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um: FAL_KEY is not set. Create a key at https://fal.ai/dashboard/keys and `export FAL_KEY=...` (or put FAL_KEY=... in a .env file here)

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The command exits with status 1 at this point, before it makes an HTTP request or starts a generation job. To see exactly where the CLI looks for credentials, read the credential lookup in fal.py.

Quick fix

Create or retrieve your key from the fal key dashboard. Replace the placeholder below with your own value in the terminal that will start the tool.

Bash or Zsh:

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export FAL_KEY="YOUR_FAL_API_KEY"

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PowerShell:

powershell

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$env:FAL_KEY = "YOUR_FAL_API_KEY"

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Start a fresh agent from that environment if it needs to inherit the value. If your integration has a dedicated secret setting, use its agent installation guide instead. A variable set in one terminal does not update an already-running desktop app or another shell.

Check the lookup order

Version 0.2.0 checks the process's FAL_KEY first. If it is absent, FAL_KEY_FILE can name a file containing the key. The implementation also looks for a FAL_KEY line in .env at the current working directory and at the toolkit's installation root.

Confirm which working directory the agent actually uses. A .env in a different project will not necessarily be read. A misspelled key-file path can instead raise a file-reading error, which is a different diagnosis. Avoid printing the secret to inspect it, and keep it out of committed files and support messages.

For Gemini, the extension's fal setting and the terminal CLI are separate entry points. Follow Universal Modder in Gemini CLI to inspect the extension connection, then check the terminal that runs um independently.

Verify without generating an asset

First verify that the command exists:

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um fal price --help

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If the shell cannot find um, resolve the CLI installation and PATH check first. That failure happens before credential lookup, so changing a fal key cannot repair it.

Help does not validate your key. When you are ready to make an authenticated service request, use the price lookup for your chosen endpoint:

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um fal price fal-ai/trellis-2

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This requests pricing rather than an asset-generation job. A successful response is JSON from the service. If the missing-key message becomes an HTTP authentication or permission error, the key was found locally but the service rejected it; check the key's validity and service access in the fal dashboard. Endpoint availability and pricing can change.

Use a route that does not need fal

You can continue planning and coding with placeholder art or your own assets. For a configured local ComfyUI server, the um comfy reference explains image generation without a fal key. See the cost FAQ for the distinction between the free toolkit and provider charges.

Still not working?

Record the CLI version, terminal or agent, working-directory description and redacted error. State whether you used a process variable, key file or integration setting. Report toolkit failures on the GitHub issue tracker; never include the key itself. Return to the troubleshooting index if the command is missing or the new error names another dependency.