How to Set Up BYOK in Chapeta

BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) lets you use your own API key with Chapeta instead of paying a monthly subscription. You pay $29.99 once to unlock the app, then pay only for the tokens you consume through OpenRouter. Most users spend $3-8/month.

This guide walks through the complete setup from download to first message.

Step 1: Download Chapeta and Unlock BYOK

1. Download Chapeta - email sign-in
2. Open Chapeta from the menu bar (look for the icon in your top menu bar)
3. Go to Settings and select the BYOK plan
4. Pay $29.99 once - one-time unlock, no recurring fees

The BYOK plan gives you full access to every Chapeta feature: all 300+ models, 9 tools, 15 built-in skills, and all future updates. The only difference from Pro is that you supply your own API key instead of using managed credits.

Step 2: Create an OpenRouter Account

OpenRouter is a unified API gateway. One account, one key, one balance, with access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, DeepSeek, Mistral, and dozens more.

1. Go to openrouter.ai and click Sign Up
2. Create an account with Google, GitHub, or email
3. Navigate to Credits in the dashboard
4. Add $5-10 to start

How far does $5 go? It depends on the model, but roughly:

• 500+ GPT questions with short answers
• 1,000+ Claude questions
• 5,000+ questions with lightweight models like Llama

For a deeper look at OpenRouter, see How to Use OpenRouter on Mac.

Step 3: Create and Copy Your API Key

1. In the OpenRouter dashboard, go to Keys
2. Click Create Key
3. Name it something recognizable like “Chapeta”
4. Copy the key - it starts with sk-or-

Keep this key private. Anyone who has it can spend your credit.

Optional: set a credit limit on the key. OpenRouter lets you cap how much a single key can spend. This is a good safety net if you want to make sure a runaway conversation does not burn through your balance.

Step 4: Paste Your Key in Chapeta

1. Open Chapeta from the menu bar
2. Go to Settings (gear icon)
3. Paste your OpenRouter API key
4. Done - Chapeta stores it in macOS Keychain, encrypted by the OS

Your key never leaves your Mac unencrypted. When you send a message, the key is transmitted through a secure connection to authenticate with OpenRouter.

Step 5: Pick a Model and Start Chatting

Click the model selector in Chapeta. You will see models organized by provider. A few starting points:

• Everyday questions: Claude Haiku, Gemini Flash, or Llama - fast and cheap
• Complex reasoning: Claude Opus, GPT, or o1 - for deep analysis
• Coding: DeepSeek or Claude Sonnet - strong at code generation and review
• Long documents: Claude (200K context), Gemini Pro (1M context) - for reading entire files

You can switch models between messages in the same conversation. Start with a cheap model and switch to a premium one when the question demands it.

Managing Your Costs

With BYOK you pay per-token, so here are a few habits that keep costs predictable:

1. Match model to task. Do not use a premium model for a yes/no question. Use a lightweight model for simple tasks.
2. Start fresh conversations. Long conversations send the entire history with each message, increasing token usage. Start a new chat when you switch topics.
3. Set a key credit limit. In the OpenRouter dashboard, you can cap spending per key. Set it to $10-20/month and adjust as you learn your usage pattern.
4. Check the OpenRouter dashboard. It shows real-time usage, per-model costs, and remaining balance. Check it weekly until you get a feel for your spend.

Typical BYOK users spend $3-8/month. Light users (a few questions per day) often spend under $2/month. Heavy users who run long coding sessions or analyze documents may spend $10-15/month, still well below a $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscription.

BYOK vs Pro: Which Plan to Pick

Not sure if BYOK is right for you? Here is the quick comparison:

• BYOK ($29.99 once): You manage your own OpenRouter key and credit. Best if you want full control, have variable usage, or want zero recurring fees.
• Pro ($8/month): Managed AI access with no setup. Best if you want simplicity and predictable billing.

Both plans give you access to all 300+ models and every Chapeta feature. The difference is how you pay for AI usage.

If you want zero setup, start with Pro. If you want the lowest long-term cost, go straight to BYOK with a small amount of OpenRouter credit.

Troubleshooting

“Invalid API key”: Make sure you copied the full key including the sk-or- prefix. Re-copy it from the OpenRouter dashboard.

“Insufficient credits”: Your OpenRouter balance is empty. Add more credit in the OpenRouter dashboard.

“Model unavailable”: Some models hit capacity limits during peak hours. Try again in a moment, or switch to an alternative model from the same provider.

Key not saving: Chapeta stores the key in macOS Keychain. If Keychain access is restricted (for example, by a corporate MDM policy), the save may fail. Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Keychain Access.