Can you BYOK on Replit, Cursor, Bolt, Lovable, or v0?

Why "[platform] byok" is one of the most-searched questions in AI building

If you search replit byok, cursor byok, bolt byok, or lovable byok, you're asking one specific thing: can I point this tool's AI agent at my own API key — or my Claude Pro / ChatGPT Plus subscription — instead of paying for the platform's credits?

It's a good question, and the answer matters, because metered credits are where flat-rate platforms make their margin. Bringing your own key means your tokens bill straight to Anthropic or OpenAI at cost, with no platform cut.

But the answer is muddier than it looks, because of a trap I'll get to first. Here's where each major builder actually stands as of mid-2026. (Policies change — every claim below links its source so you can re-check.)

The trap: "BYOK for your app" is not "BYOK for the builder"

Several platforms advertise "bring your own key" — and mean something completely different from what you're asking.

There are two places an AI key can go:

1. The builder / agent — the AI that writes your code. BYOK here means your key powers the thing you prompt.
2. Your built app's runtime — if the app you're building itself calls an LLM, you store a key for that. This is just an app secret. It has nothing to do with what powers the agent.

Replit, Lovable, and v0 all let you do #2 and none of them let you do #1. So their docs and forums contain the phrase "BYOK," search engines surface it for [platform] byok, and you arrive thinking you can run the agent on your own key — when all they offer is a secrets manager for the app you ship. Keep this distinction in hand for everything below.

The scorecard

Cursor — yes, the real thing

Cursor is the one unambiguous yes. You can add your own keys for OpenAI, Anthropic (all Claude models), Google Gemini, Azure OpenAI, and AWS Bedrock, and those power the actual chat and agent models — billed by the provider, bypassing Cursor's quota. Two caveats worth knowing: Tab autocomplete always uses Cursor's own models (your key doesn't apply there), and Cursor's zero-data-retention guarantee doesn't hold when you BYOK. (Cursor docs)

Replit — no (for the Agent)

Replit's BYOK covers AI features you build into your app — supply an Anthropic/OpenAI/Google/OpenRouter key and those calls bill direct. But the Replit Agent itself, the thing that writes your code, runs on Replit's managed credentials and burns your plan's usage. For the "power the agent with my own key" intent, it's a no. (Replit AI docs)

Bolt — no for bolt.new, yes only if you self-host bolt.diy

The hosted commercial bolt.new runs on StackBlitz's own Claude access, metered by subscription — no key slot for the builder. There's a separate open-source project, bolt.diy, that requires your own keys and supports ~19 providers — but you run it yourself. The BYOK that shows up when you search "bolt" is almost always bolt.diy, not the product most people mean. (bolt.new · bolt.diy)

Lovable — no (and they know people want it)

All of Lovable's AI is metered through its credit system; there's no model-choice or key option for the builder. The clearest evidence of the demand: an open "Use your own api keys!" request sits on Lovable's own feedback portal, unfulfilled. This is the textbook "users want BYOK but can't get it" case. (Lovable plans/credits)

v0 — no

v0's generation runs only on its credit/subscription tiers. You can add a provider key as an integration inside the app v0 generates, but not to power v0 itself. (Vercel also ships an unrelated "AI Gateway BYOK" — that's an API-routing product, not the v0 builder; don't let the shared brand confuse you.)

Where VibeKit sits

I build VibeKit, so take the bias as given — but the whole product is built on #1, real BYOK for the agent:

• Connect your Anthropic or OpenAI key and the coding agent runs on it directly — calls go to the provider, no markup, no middleman. (how it works)
• Or OAuth your subscription — Claude Pro / Max, or ChatGPT Plus via Codex — and the agent runs against quota you already pay for, often at $0 extra.
• No key, no problem: a platform-credit lane exists too (transparent cost + 20%, or an always-free tier at $0 — a pool of free-tier models, not one fixed model), but it's a choice, not a wall.

Two honest limits so this doesn't read like a pitch: VibeKit's direct BYOK is Anthropic and OpenAI/Codex only today — not Perplexity, not arbitrary providers. And if you want the polished single-vendor IDE experience, Cursor's BYOK is excellent at what it does. VibeKit's angle is different: a mobile-first, deploy-and-host agent platform where the key (or the subscription) is yours from the first prompt.

The takeaway

For the prompt-to-app builders — Replit, bolt.new, Lovable, v0 — "[platform] byok" is mostly an unmet search: the AI is locked behind their credits, and the BYOK you find refers to keys for the app you build, not the agent building it. Cursor is the exception in the IDE category. If bringing your own key (or your own subscription) to the agent is the requirement, that's the question to ask any platform before you commit — and the answer is usually printed in what they don't let you configure.

Want to bring your own key to a coding agent that also deploys and hosts? Try VibeKit free — your provider bill stays yours. More comparisons: vs Replit · vs Cursor · vs Lovable · vs Bolt.