Account, Billing & Settings
TeachFORGE.ai
Account, Billing & Settings / Your own key
Use your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key
A stronger model than a laptop can run, on an account you already have.
Your key, your provider's bill, no TeachForge credit.
What it does
Your own provider key uses an OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key you purchased separately. The panel states the arrangement: requests are sent with your key, and your provider bills you directly.
No TeachForge credit is charged. Like your own GPU, it needs Standard or above and an administrator to have enabled bring-your-own AI.
Setting it up
- Switch Enable on.
- Choose the Provider — OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini.
- Enter the Model.
- Base URL (optional) — leave blank for the provider default.
- Paste the key into API key and press Save key. Clear removes it.
- Save settings commits the rest.
Once saved, the field notes that a key is saved rather than showing it. The panel explains why: your key is encrypted at rest and never shown again.
So keep your own copy where you normally keep such things. TeachForge will not show it back to you, and replacing it means pasting a new one rather than reading the old one.
Key or GPU?
| Your own key | Your own GPU | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Your provider bills you per token | Electricity |
| Model quality | The best available | Whatever fits your hardware |
| Where the prompt goes | To your provider | To your own machine, never off it |
| Setup | Paste a key | Install and run a server |
| Tab must stay open | No | Yes |
Many people end up with both: the GPU for volume and for anything sensitive, the key for the handful of types where the strongest model is worth it.
Looking after the key
Use a key scoped to this purpose rather than your main one, and set a spending limit with your provider. A key in a browser-driven workflow is a key that can be spent quickly by a batch you did not mean to run twice.
Clear removes it from TeachForge, which does not revoke it at the provider. If a key is genuinely compromised, revoke it with them as well.