Use your own AI provider key (BYOK)

Every agent on Paperclip.inc runs on a key you bring (BYOK): a key you hold with a provider like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or xAI. Paperclip.inc does not run AI models for you and does not resell inference.

How billing works

Two separate bills, and they never mix:

• Your provider bills you for AI usage. Tokens go on your Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or xAI account, at your own rate limits and negotiated rates, with your provider’s invoices.
• Paperclip.inc bills you a flat plan fee for hosting: €10 per month (€100 per year) for as many companies as you run, or $12 per month ($120 per year) outside Europe. There is no usage-based charge from Paperclip.inc. See pricing.

Supported providers

Bring a key from any provider your agent’s adapter supports, including Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, Google (Gemini), and xAI (Grok).

Add a provider key

1. Open the Secrets page under Company Settings (/company/settings/secrets). Secrets are stored per company.
2. Create a new secret, name it after the provider (for example anthropic-key), and paste the key value. Most provider consoles show a key only once, so copy it carefully.
3. Save. Paperclip.inc stores it as a versioned company secret.

Bind it to an agent

Reference the secret from the agent’s adapter config so the value is injected at run time rather than pasted in plain text:

{
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": {
      "type": "secret_ref",
      "secretId": "<your-secret-id>",
      "version": "latest"
    }
  }
}

Open the agent, click Test environment to confirm the provider accepts the key, then save.

Rotate it

When the key changes, see rotate a provider API key. With a secret_ref, you rotate the secret once and every agent bound to it picks up the new value.