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

MLX LM

Run and fine-tune language models on Apple silicon, entirely on the laptop in front of you.

Website Source code

Category:
Fine-Tuning and Training
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit today)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (MIT)
Self-hostable:
Yes
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
CLI, Desktop, Local-only, 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:
87/100

MLX LM runs, quantises and fine-tunes language models on Apple silicon through Apple's own MLX framework, with LoRA training that fits on a MacBook. It is the most accessible entry point in this category: no cluster, no cloud account, no key, and the model and data never leave the machine. From Apple's machine learning research group. MIT.

How this tool was scored

Key handling 93/100 (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 MIT, so anyone can check how the key is handled.
  • Privacy 14/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere. Can be self-hosted, so the data path stays inside infrastructure you control.
  • 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] Most recent commit 2026-09-29, 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.