{"site":{"name":"Koji","description":"AI-native customer research platform that helps teams conduct, analyze, and synthesize customer interviews at scale.","url":"https://www.koji.so","contentTypes":["blog","documentation"],"lastUpdated":"2026-05-18T13:07:25.662Z"},"content":[{"type":"documentation","id":"51478266-f1dd-41c7-b2be-9673304418df","slug":"bring-your-own-key","title":"Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)","url":"https://www.koji.so/docs/bring-your-own-key","summary":"Guide to Koji's Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) feature. BYOK is a per-user feature supporting google_gemini and elevenlabs providers. Keys are managed at Dashboard > Profile > API Keys and encrypted at rest. Available on all plans (Free, Insights, Interviews, Enterprise).","content":"# Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)\n\nKoji's Bring Your Own Key feature lets you connect your own API keys from AI providers instead of using Koji's built-in allocation. This gives you direct control over costs, access to your organization's negotiated rates, and the ability to use private or enterprise model deployments.\n\n---\n\n## Who Is BYOK For\n\nBYOK is designed for teams that:\n\n- **Want cost transparency.** You see exactly what you spend on AI processing through your own provider dashboard.\n- **Have negotiated enterprise rates.** If your organization has volume discounts with an AI provider, BYOK lets you take advantage of those rates.\n- **Need specific model access.** If you have access to private or early-access models through your provider, BYOK lets Koji use those models.\n- **Require data residency controls.** Using your own API key means AI requests flow through your provider account, giving you control over data processing regions.\n\n---\n\n## Availability\n\nBYOK is available as a per-user feature. When enabled on your account, you can connect your own provider keys regardless of your plan (Free, Insights, Interviews, or Enterprise). Contact the Koji team if you need BYOK access enabled for your account. See the [plan comparison guide](/docs/plan-comparison-guide) for an overview of all plans.\n\n---\n\n## Setting Up BYOK\n\nTo connect your own API key:\n\n1. Navigate to **Dashboard > Profile > API Keys** in the Koji dashboard.\n2. Click **Add Provider Key**.\n3. Select the AI provider from the dropdown.\n4. Enter your API key.\n5. Click **Test Connection** to verify the key works.\n6. Click **Save**.\n\nOnce saved, Koji uses your key for all AI-powered features including interview conversations, analysis, and insight generation.\n\n### Testing the Connection\n\nThe **Test Connection** button sends a small validation request to the provider using your key. This confirms:\n\n- The key is valid and not expired.\n- The key has the necessary permissions.\n- The provider is reachable.\n\nIf the test fails, double-check that you copied the full key and that it has not been revoked or restricted.\n\n---\n\n## Supported Providers\n\nKoji supports BYOK for the following AI providers:\n\n| Provider ID | Description |\n|---|---|\n| `google_gemini` | Google Gemini models for conversation and analysis |\n| `elevenlabs` | ElevenLabs for voice interview audio |\n\nThe available providers are shown in the dropdown when you add a new key. The platform automatically uses the appropriate models from your provider based on the task being performed.\n\n---\n\n## How BYOK Affects Billing\n\nWhen you use BYOK:\n\n- **Koji does not charge for AI processing.** Your usage runs through your own provider account, and you pay the provider directly.\n- **Your Koji subscription still applies.** Plan features and credit allocation are still governed by your Koji plan.\n- **You monitor costs on the provider side.** Use your AI provider's dashboard to track usage and spending.\n\nThis can be significantly more cost-effective for high-volume research teams, especially those with enterprise provider agreements.\n\n---\n\n## Managing Your Keys\n\nFrom the **Dashboard > Profile > API Keys** page, you can:\n\n- **View connected providers.** See which providers have active keys.\n- **Test keys.** Re-run the connection test at any time to verify keys are still valid.\n- **Remove keys.** Delete a provider key to switch back to Koji's built-in allocation for that provider.\n- **Update keys.** Replace an existing key if you need to rotate credentials.\n\nWhen you remove a BYOK key, Koji automatically falls back to its built-in AI allocation (subject to your plan's included usage).\n\n---\n\n## Key Security\n\nKoji takes the security of your API keys seriously:\n\n- **Encrypted at rest.** Keys are encrypted before being stored in the database.\n- **Encrypted in transit.** Keys are transmitted over TLS and never sent in plain text.\n- **Masked in the UI.** After saving, only the last four characters of your key are displayed.\n- **Access-controlled.** Only account owners can view or manage BYOK settings.\n- **Not logged.** Your keys are never written to application logs.\n\nDespite these protections, follow best practices for API key management:\n\n- Use a dedicated key for Koji rather than sharing a key across multiple services.\n- Set spending limits on the provider side to prevent unexpected charges.\n- Rotate keys periodically.\n- Monitor your provider dashboard for unusual usage patterns.\n\n---\n\n## Troubleshooting\n\n### Key test fails with \"invalid key\"\n\nDouble-check that you copied the complete key with no extra spaces. Some providers include a prefix (like `sk-`) that must be included.\n\n### Key test fails with \"insufficient permissions\"\n\nYour API key may be restricted to certain endpoints or models. Koji requires access to the models used for conversation and analysis. Check your provider's key permissions settings.\n\n### AI features slower than before\n\nPerformance depends on your provider account's rate limits and tier. If you are on a free or low-tier provider plan, requests may be throttled. Consider upgrading your provider plan for better performance.\n\n### Unexpected charges on provider account\n\nEach interview and analysis pipeline makes multiple requests to the AI provider. Higher-volume research projects generate more requests. Use your provider's usage dashboard to track exactly which models and endpoints are being called.\n\n---\n\n## Disabling BYOK\n\nTo stop using your own keys and switch back to Koji's built-in allocation:\n\n1. Go to **Dashboard > Profile > API Keys**.\n2. Click **Remove** next to the provider key you want to disconnect.\n3. Confirm the removal.\n\nKoji immediately falls back to its built-in AI allocation. Your interview data and project configurations are not affected by this change.","category":"Account & Settings","lastModified":"2026-05-14T03:18:53.717222+00:00","metaTitle":"Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) — Koji Docs","metaDescription":"Connect your own AI provider API keys to Koji for cost control, enterprise rates, and custom model access. Available on Growth+.","keywords":["byok","bring your own key","ai provider","api key","cost control"],"aiSummary":"Guide to Koji's Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) feature. BYOK is a per-user feature supporting google_gemini and elevenlabs providers. Keys are managed at Dashboard > Profile > API Keys and encrypted at rest. Available on all plans (Free, Insights, Interviews, Enterprise).","aiPrerequisites":["creating-your-account"],"aiLearningOutcomes":["Set up BYOK with your AI provider","Understand billing implications","Manage and rotate provider keys securely","Distinguish between BYOK and project API keys"],"aiDifficulty":"intermediate","aiEstimatedTime":"6 min read"}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}