Bring your own API key
Arqo works without AI. If you use Assist, you can run it on your own Anthropic key: included on Studio, an add-on on Pro.
3 min readtopic 04 · Story Memory
Arqo does not need AI. The editor, formatting, Beat Boards, the Character Hub and every export work without Arqo Assist, and nothing of yours goes to a model until you ask Assist something.
If you do use Assist, you can run it on your own Anthropic key instead of ours. Calls on your key are billed to you by Anthropic and do not count against your plan's Assist allowance.
Who can use it
- Studio: included.
- Pro: an add-on, $2 a month or $24 a year.
- Free: not for Assist. The one exception is an ElevenLabs key for table-read voices, which works on every plan.
Setup
- You › Settings › Model providers (BYOK)
- Choose Anthropic and paste your key
- Press Validate. Arqo sends Anthropic a one-token test. Your key is used from the moment it validates; there is no separate switch.
Which providers work today
You can save keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google (Gemini) and ElevenLabs. Every Assist feature runs through Anthropic today. OpenAI and Gemini routing is rolling out through 2026. ElevenLabs powers table-read voices, not Assist.
What it does not change
- Your request still passes through Arqo's server, which checks that the script is not in the vault and then calls Anthropic with your key. Your key does not talk to the provider directly.
- Your key is stored encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and decrypted only on our server, to make the call. Arqo holds the key that decrypts it, so this protects your key if our database leaks. It is not a lock Arqo cannot open.
- If your key stops validating, or a Pro add-on lapses, calls run on Arqo's key instead.
- The four vows apply the same way on your key as on ours.