Use your own OpenAI key (BYOK)

Studio normally charges Xags for its AI work, with a markup on top of what the AI costs. If you add your own OpenAI API key, that work runs on your key at OpenAI’s prices and is billed to your OpenAI account. Studio stops charging Xags for it. This is often called “bring your own key” (BYOK).

Before you start

An OpenAI account with API access and credit.
An API key from platform.openai.com/api-keys. Image generation is billed to your account too, so the key needs access to the image models as well.

Add your key

In Studio, open the profile menu at the top right and click Account.
Find Your OpenAI key.
Paste your key in Paste your OpenAI key and click Save key.

Studio checks the key against the models it builds with before saving it, so a key that can’t run a build is caught now rather than halfway through one. When it works, you see “Your key is verified and in use for new builds.” The card then shows the end of the key, Verified, and when it was Added and Last used.

What changes in cost

With your key saved, for new work:

AI stages cost 0 Xags. Page content, SEO titles and descriptions, schema, images, logos, clustering and the site build itself run on your key and bill your OpenAI account.
AI Chat in the editor is free in Xags.
Data stages still cost Xags. Competitor search, keyword mining, search demand, related services, keyword lookups and competition data come from Xagio’s keyword data provider and are charged as normal.
No per-build fee. Studio currently charges 0 Xags per site build on your own key. If a fee applies, the Account card shows it.

Before each paid stage, Studio checks that your key still works and has OpenAI credit. If it doesn’t, nothing is charged and the work pauses.

See What a Studio project costs for the Xag prices without a key.

Replace or remove your key

Replace: paste a new key under Replace with a new key and click Replace key.
Remove: click Remove key, then Remove it. New builds go back to Studio’s normal pricing. Projects already built are not affected.

Troubleshooting

“Builds on this key are paused because your OpenAI account ran out of credit.” Add credit in your OpenAI account (Add OpenAI API credit opens the billing page), click Re-check key, then resume your project.
“Builds on this key are paused because OpenAI rejected it.” The key was revoked or replaced on OpenAI’s side. Fix it there and click Re-check key, or replace the key.
“Your OpenAI account is out of credit, so this cannot run on your key… Nothing has been charged.” Shown on a project that stopped. Add credit, re-check the key on the Account page, then resume.
“OpenAI is rejecting your key, so this cannot run… Nothing has been charged.” Check the key on the Account page.
“We could not save that key.” The key failed the check. Make sure it is a complete, active API key.
“We could not reach OpenAI to confirm the key. Try again in a moment.” OpenAI didn’t answer. Try again.

Have ChatGPT Plus, Pro or Team?

You can connect your ChatGPT plan instead of, or as well as, a key. See Build on your ChatGPT plan. With both, Studio uses the plan first.