Bring your own API keys

BYO API keys means what it sounds like: you connect keys from the model providers you already pay, and GPTree becomes the workflow and organization layer on top, while model usage is billed through your provider. Your key, their bill, our branches.

The "organization layer" part is the point. Branching, comparing, merging, projects: all of that happens in GPTree no matter whose models are running underneath. GPTree is multi-provider by design (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, and more), and you can switch models mid-conversation. Bringing your own keys just widens what's available to switch between. Nothing about how you work changes: same panes, same tree, same merge flow, with more names in the picker.

How it works

Everything lives on the AI Providers page. Add a provider, paste your API key, and verify it. Once verified, that provider's models appear in the model picker like any others, and you can set one as your default model.

Two providers skip the paste step: GitHub Copilot connects with "Connect with GitHub" and Microsoft Copilot with "Connect with Microsoft". OAuth instead of a key.

The supported list: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, Mistral, Azure OpenAI, GitHub Copilot, and Microsoft Copilot, plus a generic HTTP option. Keys are stored encrypted. If there is any model you don't see let us know and we will add it for you!

When it's the right move

The plain case is consolidation. You already have a provider account, and you'd rather model spend flow through it. "Billed through your provider" is the whole arrangement in four words: that line item shows up in your provider's dashboard, not in GPTree.

The more interesting case is choice. Model switching mid-conversation gets better the more models you have, and it pays off most in Explore, where one prompt runs as 2 to 5 side-by-side variants and each variant gets its own model. Comparing Codex against Claude on a code review stops being a thought experiment once both providers are wired in; it becomes a habit.

And if you never add a key, you lose nothing except that extra choice. Plans come with monthly credits, credit usage scales with the model used (premium models use more), and your dashboard shows credit usage transparently. BYOK is an addition, not a requirement.

The plan gate and one honest note

BYOK is a Pro and Team feature. The Free plan doesn't include it, so bringing a key is one of the concrete things an upgrade buys, alongside compare, merge, and export. And if you'd rather test the arrangement before committing, Pro comes with a 14-day free trial.

The honest note is about responsibility. With your own key doing the work, the provider side of the relationship is yours: GPTree verifies the key when you add it, but the account behind it and the bill it accrues live with your provider, and you'll want to watch that dashboard the way you'd watch any direct API usage.

Don't confuse this page with "Connect tools", by the way. The AI Providers page is for model keys. The integrations gallery is for apps like Gmail and Slack. Different doors, and mixing them up is the single most common support question we get about either one.