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BYOK Providers

Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) mode connects to cloud AI providers using your API keys.


Overview

BYOK is the primary mode for production use:

  • Full control: Use your own API keys and quotas
  • Cost management: Pay directly to providers
  • Model selection: Choose specific models for roles
  • Privacy: Data goes directly to your chosen provider

Quick Setup

# 1. Set API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# 2. Verify configuration
superqode providers test anthropic

# 3. Connect
superqode connect byok anthropic claude-sonnet-4

Supported Providers

Tier 1 (First-Class Support)

Full optimization and testing:

Anthropic (Claude)

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
superqode connect byok anthropic claude-sonnet-4
Model Best For
claude-opus-4-5 Complex analysis
claude-sonnet-4-5 Balanced performance
claude-sonnet-4 General use
claude-haiku-4-5 Fast, cost-effective

Documentation: docs.anthropic.com

OpenAI (GPT)

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
superqode connect byok openai gpt-4o
Model Best For
gpt-4o General use
gpt-4o-mini Cost-effective
o1 Complex reasoning
o1-mini Fast reasoning

Documentation: platform.openai.com

Google AI (Gemini)

export GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIza...
superqode connect byok google gemini-2.5-pro
Model Best For
gemini-2.5-pro Complex tasks
gemini-2.5-flash Fast, cost-effective

Documentation: ai.google.dev


Tier 2 (Supported)

Tested and working:

Deepseek

export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=sk-...
superqode connect byok deepseek deepseek-v3
Model Best For
deepseek-v3 General use
deepseek-r1 Reasoning

Cost: Very competitive pricing

Mistral

export MISTRAL_API_KEY=...
superqode connect byok mistral mistral-large

xAI (Grok)

export XAI_API_KEY=...
superqode connect byok xai grok

Model Hosts

Access multiple models through a single API:

OpenRouter

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...
superqode connect byok openrouter anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
  • 95+ models from various providers
  • Use format: provider/model-name

Documentation: openrouter.ai

Together AI

export TOGETHER_API_KEY=...
superqode connect byok together meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct

Groq

export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk-...
superqode connect byok groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile
  • Very fast inference
  • Free tier available

Fireworks

export FIREWORKS_API_KEY=...
superqode connect byok fireworks accounts/fireworks/models/llama-v3p3-70b-instruct

Configuration

Environment Variables

Provider Variable Notes
Anthropic ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Required
OpenAI OPENAI_API_KEY Required
Google GOOGLE_API_KEY Required
Deepseek DEEPSEEK_API_KEY Required
OpenRouter OPENROUTER_API_KEY Required
Together TOGETHER_API_KEY Required
Groq GROQ_API_KEY Required
Mistral MISTRAL_API_KEY Required
xAI XAI_API_KEY Required

Configuration File

providers:
  anthropic:
    api_key_env: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
    recommended_models:
      - claude-opus-4-5
      - claude-sonnet-4-5
      - claude-sonnet-4
      - claude-haiku-4-5

  openai:
    api_key_env: OPENAI_API_KEY
    recommended_models:
      - gpt-4o
      - gpt-4o-mini
      - o1
      - o1-mini

  deepseek:
    api_key_env: DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
    recommended_models:
      - deepseek-v3
      - deepseek-r1

Per-Role Configuration

team:
  modes:
    qe:
      roles:
        security_tester:
          mode: byok
          provider: anthropic
          model: claude-sonnet-4

        performance_tester:
          mode: byok
          provider: openai
          model: gpt-4o

Cost Management

Tracking Costs

superqode:
  cost_tracking:
    enabled: true
    show_after_task: true

After each task, you'll see:

Cost Summary:
  Provider: anthropic
  Model: claude-sonnet-4
  Input tokens: 15,234
  Output tokens: 2,456
  Estimated cost: $0.12

Cost-Effective Strategies

  1. Use appropriate models: Haiku/mini for simple tasks
  2. Use quick mode: Shorter sessions, less tokens
  3. Local fallback: Use local models for high-volume tasks

Security Best Practices

API Key Management

# Don't commit API keys
echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-..." >> .env
echo ".env" >> .gitignore

Rotate Keys Regularly

Use Project Keys

Where available, use project-specific API keys with limited scope.


Troubleshooting

"Not Configured" Error

[INCORRECT] Provider 'anthropic' is not configured

Solution: Set the API key environment variable.

"Invalid API Key"

[INCORRECT] Connection failed: Invalid API key

Solution: Verify your API key is correct and has appropriate permissions.

Rate Limiting

[INCORRECT] Rate limit exceeded

Solutions: - Wait and retry - Use a different provider temporarily - Upgrade your API tier

Model Not Found

[INCORRECT] Model 'claude-5' not found

Solution: Check available models:

superqode providers show anthropic

Provider Comparison

Provider Speed Cost Models Best For
Anthropic Fast Medium 4 Security, reasoning
OpenAI Fast Medium 4 General, reasoning
Google Fast Low 2 General, vision
Deepseek Medium Low 2 Cost-effective
Groq Very Fast Low 3 Speed-critical

Next Steps