Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)

BYOK lets you use your own LLM API keys with any Hatcher agent. It is always free — zero gate, no payment needed, available on every plan including Free.

BYOK does not spend Hatcher AI Credits. When you configure BYOK, the agent sends requests directly to your provider. You only pay your provider directly for their API usage.

How It Works

You enter your API key in the agent settings
The key is encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored securely
At container startup, the key is injected as an environment variable
Your agent uses your key to call the LLM provider directly

Security guarantees:

Keys are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM — never stored in plaintext
Keys are never logged
Keys are never returned to the frontend after saving
Keys are only decrypted at container startup and injected into the runtime environment

Supported Providers

OpenAI

Models available: GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini/nano, o3-mini, o4-mini.

Setup:

Get your API key from platform.openai.com/api-keys
Enter it in agent settings under LLM Configuration
Select “OpenAI” as the provider

Step-by-step Setup

Go to agent settings

Open your agent from the Dashboard and click on Settings or the gear icon.

Open LLM Configuration

Find the LLM Configuration section in the agent settings panel.

Select your provider

Choose your LLM provider from the dropdown (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, xAI, OpenRouter, or Venice AI).

Enter your API key

Paste your API key into the secure input field. The key will be encrypted immediately upon saving.

Save

Click Save. Your key is now encrypted with AES-256-GCM and stored. It will never be displayed again after saving. Your agent will use this key for all subsequent LLM calls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my key later? Yes. Go to agent settings, select the provider, and enter a new key. The old key is overwritten.

What happens if my key is invalid or has no credits? The provider request fails and Hatcher surfaces the error so you can fix the key, billing, or selected BYOK model. Hosted fallback usage must be selected explicitly and spends AI Credits.

Is there a limit on BYOK usage? No limits from Hatcher. Your usage is limited only by your provider’s rate limits and billing.

Can I use different keys for different agents? Yes. Each agent has its own LLM configuration. You can use OpenAI on one agent and Anthropic on another.