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

PyGPT

Desktop assistant for Windows, macOS and Linux that states plainly it runs on your own API key.

Website Source code

Category:
Desktop AI Assistants
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit 20 days ago)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (MIT)
Self-hostable:
No
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
Desktop, Local-only
AI providers (bring your own key):
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Perplexity, xAI Grok, OpenRouter, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
Stored locally on device
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
82/100

PyGPT is a desktop AI assistant covering chat, agents, web search, Python execution, speech in and out, plugins and long-term memory. The README is unusually direct about the key question: it 'utilizes the user's own API key', connecting to OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, xAI, Perplexity, Mistral, OpenRouter and others with credentials you hold, and it notes that local models served through Ollama need no external key at all. MIT, confirmed by reading the LICENSE rather than trusting GitHub's detector, which reports the repository as unlicensed.

How this tool was scored

Key handling 85/100 (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 23/25: The key is held on your own device.
  • 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 11/15: Local-first: it works without sending your data anywhere.
  • 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.
  • [STRONG · SOURCE_SCAN] Supports a local model backend, so it can run with no cloud provider key at all. source
  • [CONFIRMED · SOURCE_SCAN] Most recent commit 2026-09-29, about 0 month(s) ago. source

How your API key is handled

Your API key is stored locally on your device. Requests are sent directly to the AI provider.

Setup

Open settings, paste your provider API key, choose a model, and start. The key stays on your device.