BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.

Axolotl

YAML-configured fine-tuning built for multi-GPU runs you can reproduce and audit.

Website Source code

Category:
Fine-Tuning and Training
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit today)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (Apache-2.0)
Self-hostable:
Yes
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
CLI, Self-hosted, Docker
AI providers (bring your own key):
Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
No cloud key required for local model
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
84/100

Axolotl configures fine-tuning through declarative YAML rather than code, which makes runs reproducible and reviewable, and it is the option teams reach for when training has to span multiple GPUs via FSDP or DeepSpeed. Training happens on infrastructure you provide, so no key is involved and the dataset never leaves it. Apache-2.0.

How this tool was scored

Key handling 88/100 (where your key rests and who sees it, comparable across any licence) and verifiability 70/100 (how much of that BYOAIK could confirm, lower for closed source). Neither contains a popularity signal.

  • Key Safety 25/25: No cloud key is needed at all. The model runs locally.
  • Request Routing 17/20: Requests go straight from you to the AI provider.
  • Transparency 20/20: Source is public under Apache-2.0, so anyone can check how the key is handled.
  • Privacy 11/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere. Can be self-hosted, so the data path stays inside infrastructure you control. Analytics or error-reporting libraries are present; what they send was not established.
  • Maintenance 10/10: Actively developed, with commits within the last three months.
  • Verification Confidence 1/10: Compiled from public documentation by an AI-assisted pass, not independently confirmed.

What was checked

Verification tier RESEARCH_ASSISTED, derived from the evidence below and not set by hand.

  • [REPORTED · RESEARCH] This listing was compiled by an AI-assisted research pass over the tool's public website, README and documentation. No person independently confirmed it.
  • [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Ships a container definition, so it can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. source
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] Supports a local model backend, so it can run with no cloud provider key at all. source
  • [REPORTED · SOURCE_SCAN] References PostHog, so some analytics or error reporting is present. This scan cannot tell whether it is opt-in or what it sends. source
  • [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-09-28, about 0 month(s) ago. source

How your API key is handled

Key handling varies. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider. Because it can be self-hosted, your key never has to touch a third-party backend.

Setup

Add your provider API key in settings and choose a model.