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

Zed

High-performance Rust code editor with a built-in AI agent that runs on your own provider API keys.

Website Source code

Category:
Coding Assistants
Maintenance:
Actively developed (last commit today)
Pricing:
Open Source
Open source:
Yes (GPL-3.0 / Apache-2.0 (mixed; GitHub reports NOASSERTION))
Self-hostable:
No
Local-first:
Yes
Platforms:
Desktop
AI providers (bring your own key):
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini, Mistral, DeepSeek, xAI Grok, OpenRouter, Ollama, Custom / OpenAI-compatible
API key storage:
Stored locally on device
Key risk level:
LOW
Trust score:
82/100

Zed is an open-source, high-performance code editor written in Rust by the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter. Its Agent Panel and inline assist support multiple LLM providers where the end user pastes their own API key; spend then goes directly to that provider. Confirmed BYOK providers in the docs include Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI (Gemini), Mistral, DeepSeek, and xAI, plus gateways like OpenRouter and local models via Ollama/LM Studio. Zed also supports adding a custom OpenAI-compatible provider by specifying a custom base URL, model ID, and API key. Keys entered in Zed are stored in the OS system keychain rather than in plaintext settings, and provider-specific environment variables are also honored.

Why this trust score (82/100)

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 GPL-3.0 / Apache-2.0 (mixed; GitHub reports NOASSERTION), 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: 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 2026-08-15, 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.