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

GPT Pilot

Builds whole applications step by step with you reviewing, under a licence that becomes MIT later.

Website Source code

Category:
App Builders
Maintenance:
Slowing down (last commit about 4 months ago)
Pricing:
Free
Open source:
No
Self-hostable:
Yes
Local-first:
No
Platforms:
CLI, Local-only, Self-hosted, Docker
AI providers (bring your own key):
OpenAI, Anthropic, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
Configured by environment variable
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
64/100

GPT Pilot writes applications incrementally, pausing for review rather than emitting a finished codebase, and runs locally against a model key you supply. Read the licence before committing to it: the file is the Functional Source License 1.1 with an MIT Future License, meaning it is source-available now, restricted against competing uses, and converts to MIT two years after each release. That is a real grant on a delay, not open source today, and the distinction matters if you are deciding what to build a business on.

How this tool was scored

Key handling 77/100 (where your key rests and who sees it, comparable across any licence) and verifiability 33/100 (how much of that BYOAIK could confirm, lower for closed source). Neither contains a popularity signal.

  • Key Safety 22/25: The key is supplied by an environment variable or local config file you control.
  • Request Routing 17/20: Requests go straight from you to the AI provider.
  • Transparency 9/20: A public repository exists but the project is not open source.
  • Privacy 7/15: 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 8/10: Commits within the last six 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.
  • [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] Ships a container definition, so it can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. source
  • [REPORTED · SOURCE_SCAN] References Sentry, 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 2026-06-12, about 4 month(s) ago. source

How your API key is handled

Your API key is supplied via an environment variable or local config file. 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

Install the tool, set your provider API key as an environment variable (or in its config file), and pick a model.