Plexii glossary
Bring your own key (BYOK) for AI
Using your own AI provider API key inside another application, with usage billed by that provider.
What it means
Disambiguation first: in AI apps, BYOK means pasting your own API key from an AI provider so your requests are billed to your own account; the term has an older, separate meaning in cloud encryption — say so in one sentence and move on without security framing. What an API key is in plain words, usage-based billing , and when BYOK suits (choosing the provider, controlling spend).
The term is most useful as a shared description. It does not remove the need to look at the actual task, evidence or constraint in front of you.
A practical example
You add an Anthropic key in an app’s settings; requests use that provider account and appear on its usage statement.
Put it into practice
- Name the concrete situation before applying the label. Bring your own key (BYOK) for AI is useful only when it changes a choice, boundary or next action.
- Make the state visible: write the owner, time, source or stopping condition down instead of relying on memory.
- Review what happened. Keep the part that reduced ambiguity and change the part that added ceremony without helping the work.
How it relates to Plexii
add, test, replace or remove Anthropic and OpenAI keys on the AI tab of Settings (api keys); some features use your own key even when signed in, such as building a Custom widget, a Mind map’s AI Expand and a Voice note’s summary views, and the Image widget and Cloud transcription use an OpenAI key (widget requirements). Link bring your own ai key for the full guide.