BYOAIK (Bring Your Own AI Key) is a directory of AI tools that run on your own API key.
Whisper (Obsidian)
Obsidian speech-to-text plugin that transcribes recorded or uploaded audio via any Whisper-compatible API using your own key.
- Category:
- Voice and Transcription Tools
- Maintenance:
- Slowing down (last commit about 5 months ago)
- Pricing:
- Open Source
- Open source:
- Yes (MIT)
- Self-hostable:
- No
- Local-first:
- Yes
- Platforms:
- Desktop, Mobile
- AI providers (bring your own key):
- OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Groq, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
- API key storage:
- Stored locally on device
- Key risk level:
- LOW
- Trust score:
- 80/100
Whisper is an open-source (MIT) Obsidian community plugin by nikdanilov for speech-to-text. You record audio from the sidebar mic (or Alt+Q), upload audio files, or right-click an audio file in your vault, and it transcribes via the Whisper API and inserts the text into your notes. Transcription works with OpenAI, Groq, Azure, or any Whisper-compatible API; the user supplies their own API key and can override the endpoint URL in settings (the code exposes apiKey/openAiApiKey fields and a configurable apiUrl defaulting to https://api.openai.com/v1/audio/transcriptions). Optional LLM post-processing (fix grammar, remove filler words, format as markdown, extract action items) supports Claude and GPT plus any OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as Ollama or LM Studio, again via a user-provided key (anthropicApiKey/postProcessingApiKey + postProcessingUrl). Runs on Obsidian desktop and mobile. Roughly 48.8k downloads and well-maintained (latest v1.9.1, last commit April 2026, 66 of 71 issues closed). It is a client plugin only; all provider costs are billed to the user's own accounts.
Why this trust score (80/100)
Trust measures how the tool treats your API key and how much of that has been verified. It contains no 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 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.
- [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 2026-04-07, about 4 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.