Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)

DevSpeak supports Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) — a feature that lets you connect your own LLM API credentials to use custom models for translation.

Supported Providers

| Provider | Tier Requirement | Configuration |

| ----------------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------------- |

| OpenAI | All tiers | API key + model identifier |

| Anthropic | All tiers | API key + model identifier |

| Gemini | All tiers | API key |

| OpenAI-Compatible | All tiers | API key + custom endpoint + model identifier |

Gemini is a BYOK-only provider: it is available when you connect your own key, and is not part of DevSpeak's own model selection.

OpenAI-Compatible covers OpenRouter (which has its own preset) and the other providers DevSpeak can reach: DeepSeek, Mistral, Cerebras, NVIDIA, and Alibaba Cloud Model Studio. DevSpeak calls your endpoint from its own servers, so only endpoints on its allowlist can be saved. A model server on your own machine, such as Ollama or LocalAI, works only in a self-hosted DevSpeak deployment.

How BYOK Works

1. Navigate to Settings → Keys & Providers.

2. Select your provider card.

3. Enter your API key (stored encrypted server-side) and, except for Gemini, the exact model identifier.

4. Click Test Connection to verify the credentials.

5. Click Save Provider. Translations then route through your chosen provider unless you explicitly pick a DevSpeak model from the model selector. Leaving the selector on Auto also uses your provider: Auto omits the model pin, and an unresolved pin falls through to your stored credential before the router picks a managed model.

Tier Routing

BYOK is available on every subscription tier, including FREE. It is always optional — it changes which model executes your translation, not whether you can translate at all.

  • FREE: optional. Without it, translations use DevSpeak's models within an hourly limit.

  • VIBECODER: optional. Without it, translations use DevSpeak's models.
  • DEVELOPER: optional, and useful once you have used your monthly allowance.
  • ENTERPRISE: optional. Without it, translations use DevSpeak's models.

    • Credential Security

  • API keys are encrypted at rest using AES-256.
  • Keys are never logged or exposed in API responses.
  • You can revoke credentials at any time from the settings panel.
  • Connection validation performs a lightweight test request to verify the key works.

    • Connection Statuses

    | Status | Meaning |

    | -------------- | --------------------------------------- |

    | active | Credentials validated and in use |

    | invalid | Last validation failed — check your key |

    | unconfigured | No custom provider set up |

    | validating | Connection test in progress |

    Troubleshooting

  • Invalid key error: Verify the key is correct and has not been revoked in the provider's dashboard.

  • Timeout during validation: The provider endpoint may be unreachable. Check the base URL and try again.
  • Unexpected model behavior: Ensure your provider plan includes access to the model you're targeting.