Using your own API key for AI chatbots

Updated Oct 20, 20266 min read

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Run a bot on your own Anthropic API key (BYOK) and pay nothing to Deskwoot for that bot's AI usage. Available on Startup and above. Add a bot with your key in Settings → Bots (it runs on Claude Sonnet 4.6) and assign it to an inbox: that bot's conversations bill directly to your Anthropic account and never touch your included AI conversations or prepaid balance. Copilot still runs on Deskwoot-managed AI. The only limits for the bot are your own Anthropic rate limits.

Deskwoot lets you bring your own API key from Anthropic, giving you direct control over your AI chatbot costs. Instead of paying per-message fees to a third party, you pay Anthropic's standard rates, often resulting in significant savings. This approach is ideal for businesses that want transparency and predictable pricing as their support volume scales.

Supported providers

Deskwoot supports API keys from one AI provider:

Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 4.6

OpenAI keys are not supported. You enter your API key directly in the bot settings within your Deskwoot dashboard. Once configured, your bot uses your Anthropic account for all of its replies, on every channel of the inboxes you assign it to.

How to set up your API key

Create an API key in the Anthropic Console (console.anthropic.com).
Log in to your Deskwoot account, go to Settings > Bots and click Add Bot.
Choose the bot type AI Bot (Your API Key), select Anthropic as the AI provider, paste your API key and pick the model Claude Sonnet 4.6. Click Create Bot.
Go to Settings > Inboxes, open the inbox the bot should answer, and select the bot under Bot Configuration. Your bot now uses your own API key for all conversations in that inbox.

Cost comparison

When you use your own API key, Anthropic bills you by tokens at its published rates for Claude Sonnet 4.6, so the cost depends on the length of the conversation and on how much of your knowledge goes into each reply. This is usually far cheaper than competitors who charge $0.99 to $2.00 per AI resolution. For high-volume support teams, this can translate to thousands of dollars in monthly savings.

Best practices

Use Test Your Bot in the bot settings to check a few answers before you assign the bot to an inbox.
Monitor your API usage through your provider's dashboard to track spending and set budget alerts.
Review your chatbot's conversation logs regularly to ensure the AI is providing accurate and helpful responses.

Common troubleshooting

If a request to Anthropic fails, your bot asks the customer to try again, and hands the conversation to your team if the next attempt fails too. When that keeps happening, verify that your API key is still valid and that your Anthropic account has sufficient credits. API keys can expire or be revoked if billing information is outdated. Also check that you've selected a supported model in your bot settings.

BYOK and AI conversation metering

When a bot runs on your own Anthropic key, the conversations it serves do not count against the monthly AI conversations included with your plan. You pay Anthropic directly and Deskwoot does not meter those calls.

The Copilot tools an agent uses on the same conversation (suggest reply, summarize, translate, detect language) always run on Deskwoot-managed AI and count normally. If both the BYOK bot and Copilot touch the same conversation in the same month, that conversation counts once (because of the agent-side Copilot action) rather than twice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch providers after setting up my API key?

You can change your API key at any time in the bot settings, and your bot starts using the new key immediately. Anthropic is the only provider you can choose.

Will I be charged by both Deskwoot and my AI provider?

No. When you use your own API key, you only pay Anthropic's standard rates. Deskwoot does not add per-message fees on top of that.

What happens if my API key runs out of credits?

Your bot can no longer answer: it asks the customer to try again and hands the conversation to your team if the next attempt fails too, until you add credits to your Anthropic account. It's a good idea to set up billing alerts with Anthropic to avoid interruptions.

Why would I use BYOK instead of Deskwoot-managed?

Cost at scale. If your team is doing thousands of AI conversations per month, the per-call cost on your direct Anthropic account is often lower than our managed pricing.

Where do I get an Anthropic API key?

In the Anthropic Console at console.anthropic.com, under API keys. Copy the key and paste it into Settings → Bots when you add the bot.

Can I use both BYOK and Deskwoot-managed at the same time?

Yes, per inbox. One inbox can use your key, another can use ours. Useful for testing or for routing premium customers through a more expensive model.

Which providers are supported?

Anthropic only. A bot on your own key runs on Claude Sonnet 4.6; OpenAI keys are not supported. The Deskwoot-managed bot (Fynn) runs on Claude Sonnet 5 on our side and isn't affected by the BYOK setting.

Is my API key stored securely?

Yes. It is encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and decrypted only for the bot's requests to Anthropic. After the first save it is never shown in full again: the bot list shows only its first few and last 4 characters.

What happens if my BYOK key gets rate-limited?

The bot asks the visitor to try again. If the next attempt fails too, it hands the conversation to your team. We don't fall back to our managed AI automatically: that would create surprise bills.

Can I rotate the key without downtime?

Yes. Add a new key under the same setting; the next request uses it immediately. Revoke the old key on your provider's side afterwards.

Does BYOK count against my AI conversation quota?

No. BYOK calls bypass our quota entirely: they are not counted and nothing is deducted from the prepaid balance.

Can I see my own usage in Anthropic?

Yes, in the Anthropic Console at console.anthropic.com. We don't surface a per-call cost ourselves under BYOK because the actual billing happens entirely on Anthropic's side; its dashboard is the source of truth.

What if I cancel my Anthropic account?

The bot on that key can no longer answer: it asks visitors to try again and then hands their conversations to your team. Copilot keeps working, because it always runs on Deskwoot-managed AI. Add a new key, or assign Fynn to the inbox instead (it uses your plan's included AI conversations and, beyond them, your prepaid balance).

Is BYOK available on the Hacker plan?

No. Bots, both Fynn and bots on your own key, start on the Startup plan. On Hacker, the 10 included AI conversations are for Copilot.

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