Bring Your Own Key

Use your own API key to bypass rate limits and connect to the LLM provider of your choice.

How it works

Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) lets you connect your own LLM provider API key to your TextClaw agent. When a BYOK key is configured, your agent's LLM requests are routed through your key instead of TextClaw's built-in key. Since you're paying the provider directly, your agent's daily and weekly token limits are bypassed entirely.

Your TextClaw subscription still covers the platform itself — messaging, agent hosting, and all channel integrations. BYOK only changes where the LLM requests go.

Plan requirements

BYOK is available on Pro and Max plans. Plus plan users can see the BYOK settings but cannot save API keys until they upgrade.

If you downgrade from Pro or Max to Plus, your BYOK keys will be automatically removed and your agent will switch back to the built-in model with standard rate limits.

Supported providers

You can bring your own key for any of the following providers. See each provider's page for setup instructions and pricing details.

Anthropic — Claude model family
OpenAI — GPT and o-series models
Synthetic — Open-source and commercial models
FastMetal.ai — Prepaid-credits inference gateway

Setting up BYOK

Get an API key from your chosen provider (see links above).
Go to Settings in your TextClaw dashboard.
Under Model, switch the mode to Bring Your Own Key.
Select your provider from the dropdown.
Enter your API key and click Load Models to see available models.
Select a model and click Save.

Once saved, your agent will immediately start using your key. Rate limits are bypassed when using your own key.

Removing BYOK

To switch back to TextClaw's built-in key:

Go to Settings in your dashboard.
Under Model, switch the mode back to Built-in.
Select a built-in model and click Save.
Your agent will revert to the built-in model with your plan's standard rate limits.

Things to know

BYOK usage is billed directly by the provider — TextClaw does not charge for LLM tokens when using your own key.
Token usage is still tracked in your TextClaw dashboard for visibility, but limits are not enforced.
Your API keys are encrypted at rest and never exposed after saving.