> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.boostgpt.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bring Your Own Keys (BYOK)

> Use your own API keys from AI providers with BoostGPT

## Overview

While BoostGPT provides hosted API keys for all supported providers, you can bring your own API keys (BYOK) for greater control, cost optimization, and compliance requirements.

## Benefits of BYOK

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cost Control" icon="dollar-sign">
    Direct billing from providers, potentially lower costs for high-volume applications
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rate Limits" icon="gauge">
    Use your own API tier and rate limits without sharing with other BoostGPT users
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance" icon="shield-check">
    Meet regulatory requirements that mandate direct provider relationships
  </Card>

  <Card title="Billing Transparency" icon="file-invoice">
    Direct invoices from AI providers with detailed usage breakdowns
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Supported Providers

All major AI providers support BYOK through the BoostGPT dashboard:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="openai" title="OpenAI">
    **Models:** GPT-5, GPT-4, O-series reasoning models

    **Get API Key:** [platform.openai.com/api-keys](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys)

    **Cost:** Pay-as-you-go pricing directly to OpenAI
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="google" title="Google (Gemini)">
    **Models:** Gemini 2.5, Gemini 3 Pro Preview

    **Get API Key:** [makersuite.google.com/app/apikey](https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey)

    **Cost:** Free tier available, then pay-as-you-go
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="brain" title="Anthropic (Claude)">
    **Models:** Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku

    **Get API Key:** [console.anthropic.com/account/keys](https://console.anthropic.com/account/keys)

    **Cost:** Pay-as-you-go with higher tier discounts
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="x-twitter" title="xAI (Grok)">
    **Models:** Grok 3, Grok 4 Fast

    **Get API Key:** [console.x.ai](https://console.x.ai)

    **Cost:** Pay-per-request pricing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle" title="DeepSeek">
    **Models:** DeepSeek V3, DeepSeek R1

    **Get API Key:** [platform.deepseek.com](https://platform.deepseek.com)

    **Cost:** Competitive pay-as-you-go pricing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="sparkles" title="Mistral AI">
    **Models:** Mistral Small, Medium, Large

    **Get API Key:** [console.mistral.ai](https://console.mistral.ai)

    **Cost:** Usage-based pricing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle-check" title="Cohere">
    **Models:** Command R+, Command A, Command R7B

    **Get API Key:** [dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys](https://dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys)

    **Cost:** Free trial, then pay-as-you-go
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="bolt" title="Groq">
    **Models:** Llama 3.x, DeepSeek Llama, Qwen models

    **Get API Key:** [console.groq.com/keys](https://console.groq.com/keys)

    **Cost:** Generous free tier, competitive paid pricing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="server" title="Ollama">
    **Models:** All local models (no API key needed)

    **Setup:** Install Ollama locally and provide host URL

    **Cost:** Free (self-hosted)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Setup Guide

### Step 1: Get Your API Key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose Your Provider">
    Select the AI provider you want to use (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Account">
    Sign up for an account with the provider if you don't have one
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate API Key">
    Navigate to the provider's API key management page and create a new key

    <Tip>
      Give your key a descriptive name like "BoostGPT Production" to track usage
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy API Key">
    Copy the API key immediately - most providers only show it once!

    <Warning>
      Store your API key securely. Never commit it to version control or share it publicly.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Step 2: Add API Key to BoostGPT

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open BoostGPT Dashboard">
    Go to [app.boostgpt.co](https://app.boostgpt.co) and log in
  </Step>

  <Step title="Navigate to Integrations">
    Click on **Integrations** in the sidebar navigation
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Provider">
    Find and click on the AI provider you want to configure (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter API Key">
    Paste your API key into the provided field
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Agents">
    Choose which agents should use this API key

    <Info>
      You can use different API keys for different agents to separate billing or apply different rate limits.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Configuration">
    Click **Save** to apply your custom API key
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the Integration">
    Send a test message to verify the API key works correctly
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Step 3: Monitor Usage

<Info>
  Track your usage and costs directly in your provider's dashboard. BoostGPT will use your API key for all requests from the selected agents.
</Info>

## Usage with SDKs

Once configured in the dashboard, your agents automatically use your custom API keys. No code changes needed!

### Core SDK

```javascript theme={null}
import { BoostGPT } from 'boostgpt';

const client = new BoostGPT({
  project_id: process.env.BOOSTGPT_PROJECT_ID,
  key: process.env.BOOSTGPT_API_KEY
});

// This bot will use your custom OpenAI API key (if configured in dashboard)
const botResponse = await client.createBot({
  name: 'My BYOK Bot',
  model: 'gpt-5-mini',
  instruction: 'You are a helpful assistant.',
  status: 'active'
});

// Chat requests automatically use your API key
const chatResponse = await client.chat({
  bot_id: botResponse.response.id,
  message: 'Hello!'
});
```

### Router SDK

```javascript theme={null}
import { Router, DiscordAdapter } from '@boostgpt/router';

const router = new Router({
  apiKey: process.env.BOOSTGPT_API_KEY,
  projectId: process.env.BOOSTGPT_PROJECT_ID,
  defaultBotId: process.env.BOOSTGPT_BOT_ID, // Bot using your custom API key
  adapters: [
    new DiscordAdapter({
      discordToken: process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN
    })
  ]
});

// Router automatically uses your custom API key
router.onMessage(async (message, context) => {
  // Handle commands or return null for AI
  if (message.content === '/status') {
    return 'Using your own API key!';
  }

  return null; // BoostGPT handles with your key
});

await router.start();
```

### Override API Key Per Request (Advanced)

For Ollama or custom setups, you can override the provider configuration per request:

```javascript theme={null}
// Override Ollama host per request
const chatResponse = await client.chat({
  bot_id: 'your-bot-id',
  provider_host: 'http://custom-server:11434',
  message: 'Hello from custom host!'
});

// Override OpenAI API key per request (if needed)
const customResponse = await client.chat({
  bot_id: 'your-bot-id',
  provider_key: 'sk-custom-key-here', // Use specific API key
  message: 'Hello!'
});
```

## Cost Comparison

### BoostGPT Credits vs BYOK

<Info>
  BoostGPT credits provide simplicity and predictability, while BYOK offers potential cost savings for high-volume usage.
</Info>

| Scenario                            | BoostGPT Credits      | BYOK                         | Recommendation |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------- |
| **Low Volume** (\<1M tokens/month)  | Simple, predictable   | More setup, similar cost     | Use Credits    |
| **High Volume** (>10M tokens/month) | Pay per credit        | Direct provider pricing      | Use BYOK       |
| **Multiple Models**                 | Single credit balance | Separate provider bills      | Use Credits    |
| **Compliance Required**             | Shared infrastructure | Direct provider relationship | Use BYOK       |
| **Development/Testing**             | Easy to start         | Requires API keys            | Use Credits    |

### Example Cost Analysis

**Scenario:** 1M GPT-4o Mini requests per month

* **BoostGPT Credits:** 1M credits × $0.01 = $10,000
* **BYOK with OpenAI:** \~\$8,000 (OpenAI direct pricing)
* **Savings:** \~\$2,000/month (20%)

<Tip>
  For high-volume production workloads (>1M requests/month), BYOK typically offers 15-30% cost savings.
</Tip>

## Security Best Practices

### Protect Your API Keys

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="key" title="Use Environment Variables">
    Never hardcode API keys in your code

    ```bash .env theme={null}
    OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
    ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
    GOOGLE_AI_KEY=AIza...
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="rotate" title="Rotate Keys Regularly">
    Generate new API keys every 3-6 months and revoke old ones
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="shield" title="Use Different Keys Per Environment">
    Separate API keys for development, staging, and production
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="gauge" title="Set Rate Limits">
    Configure rate limits at the provider level to prevent unexpected costs
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="bell" title="Enable Alerts">
    Set up billing alerts with your providers to monitor unexpected usage spikes
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="ban" title="Never Share Keys">
    Each team member should have their own API keys, never share
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Monitor API Usage

<Steps>
  <Step title="Provider Dashboards">
    Check usage in OpenAI Console, Anthropic Console, etc.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Billing Alerts">
    Configure alerts at $50, $100, \$500 thresholds
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Monthly">
    Analyze usage patterns and optimize model selection
  </Step>

  <Step title="Track by Agent">
    Use different API keys for different agents to track costs separately
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="circle-exclamation" title="Invalid API Key error">
    **Cause:** API key is incorrect, expired, or revoked

    **Solutions:**

    * Double-check the API key was copied correctly
    * Verify the key hasn't been revoked in provider dashboard
    * Generate a new API key
    * Ensure no extra spaces or characters
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle-exclamation" title="Rate limit exceeded">
    **Cause:** Too many requests for your API tier

    **Solutions:**

    * Upgrade your API tier with the provider
    * Implement request throttling
    * Use exponential backoff retries
    * Consider using BoostGPT credits for overflow
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle-exclamation" title="Insufficient quota">
    **Cause:** API account hasn't been verified or has no credits

    **Solutions:**

    * Add payment method to provider account
    * Verify email/phone with provider
    * Check billing status in provider dashboard
    * Add credits or update payment method
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle-exclamation" title="API key not working in BoostGPT">
    **Cause:** Configuration issue in BoostGPT dashboard

    **Solutions:**

    * Verify API key was saved correctly
    * Check that the agent is selected to use the custom key
    * Test the API key directly with provider's API
    * Re-enter and save the API key
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="circle-exclamation" title="Unexpected costs">
    **Cause:** Higher than expected usage or expensive model selection

    **Solutions:**

    * Review usage in provider dashboard
    * Switch to more cost-effective models (e.g., GPT-4o Mini instead of GPT-5)
    * Set max\_reply\_tokens limits
    * Implement caching for common queries
    * Enable billing alerts
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Migration from Credits to BYOK

<Steps>
  <Step title="Calculate Usage">
    Review your monthly credit usage in BoostGPT dashboard
  </Step>

  <Step title="Estimate Costs">
    Compare BoostGPT credit costs vs direct provider pricing
  </Step>

  <Step title="Obtain API Keys">
    Sign up with providers and generate API keys
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test in Staging">
    Configure API keys for a test agent first
  </Step>

  <Step title="Gradual Rollout">
    Move agents to BYOK one at a time, monitoring costs
  </Step>

  <Step title="Monitor Performance">
    Track response times and error rates after migration
  </Step>
</Steps>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion icon="question" title="Can I use both BoostGPT credits and BYOK?">
    Yes! You can use BoostGPT credits for some agents and BYOK for others. Configure API keys per-agent in the dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="question" title="Do I still need a BoostGPT subscription with BYOK?">
    Yes. BoostGPT provides the infrastructure, SDKs, routing, and management tools. BYOK only changes where API calls are billed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="question" title="What happens if my API key runs out of credits?">
    Requests will fail with an error. BoostGPT will NOT fallback to BoostGPT credits automatically. Monitor your provider balances.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="question" title="Can I switch back to BoostGPT credits?">
    Yes! Simply remove your custom API key from the Integration settings, and your agents will use BoostGPT credits again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="question" title="Does BYOK work with all features?">
    Yes. All BoostGPT features work identically with BYOK, including reasoning modes, multi-channel routing, and integrations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion icon="question" title="How secure is storing my API key in BoostGPT?">
    API keys are encrypted at rest and in transit. Only your agents use your keys, never shared with other users. See our [security docs](/security) for details.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Provider Overview" icon="list" href="/providers/overview">
    See all supported providers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Model Comparison" icon="scale-balanced" href="/providers/model-comparison">
    Compare models and pricing
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/authentication">
    Learn about BoostGPT authentication
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations" icon="plug" href="/integrations/introduction">
    Connect external tools and services
  </Card>
</CardGroup>