Does "Bring Your Own Key" only use the API keys I've added?

[natenorberg]

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If I use "Bring Your Own Key", does that mean that copilot will only use the models from those keys? Or will it use those models in addition to what's already included in copilot?

I'd love to try out agent mode, but I'm trying to see if it would be allowed with my org

[xcutiboo]

Hey there! So you're wondering about "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK) and if it mixes your own AI brains with the ones Copilot already has, right? And you're also curious if that BYOK setup would let you play around with Agent Mode while keeping your org happy

Think of BYOK like this:
you're bringing your own set of smart helpers (the AI models behind your API keys) and telling Copilot, "Hey, just work with these guys, okay?" It doesn't bring in any of Copilot's usual helpers to join the party. It's all about using your specific AI crew.

So, to be super clear: if you use BYOK, Copilot will only use the AI models that are linked to the API keys you've added. It won't pull in any of the models that usually come with Copilot. It's like having a separate, dedicated AI team just for you. This is great if you need really specific AI smarts or if your company has rules about which AI gets to see your code.
Now, about trying out Agent Mode with your own keys, that's a neat idea! Whether that works depends on a couple of things:

• Are your AI helpers smart enough for Agent Mode? Agent Mode often needs some pretty clever AI to plan and think things through. So, the models behind your keys need to have those skills.
• Does your work say "yes" to this kind of setup? Even though you're bringing your own keys, your company might have rules about connecting outside AI services or how your code gets processed.

What to do next?

To figure out if Agent Mode with BYOK is a go at your workplace:

• Have a peek at your company's AI rules. See what they say about using external AI and sharing data.

• Check out what your AI keys can actually do. Do they have the advanced thinking power that Agent Mode needs?

• Maybe have a quick chat with your IT or security folks. Just explain what you're thinking and see if it fits with their policies.
  Basically, BYOK keeps things separate and lets you control the AI models. Now, making sure those models can handle Agent Mode and getting the thumbs-up from your work are the next steps. Good luck getting to try out Agent Mode, sounds fun!

[weyniis]

Heyy,

When u use GitHub Copilot with "Bring Your Own Key" (BYOK), only the models linked to ur API key are used — Copilot won't combine it with its own default models.

So essentially:
✅ ur prompts go to the model/service behind ur key
❌ Copilot's default model (e.g. OpenAI’s GPT) is not involved

This setup is useful if u want more control over the model being used, or if u have specific requirements (e.g. custom deployment, region, or data policies).

Hope that clears it up!

[yoelcommit]

is it not possible to switch per need / task ?
what if I use BYOK for a specific domain, and need Sonnet or Gemini for regular agentic code generation?

[gururise]

Even using your own API KEYS seems to require premium requests

[MagicalBuilder]

yh, so sad

[mingchau]

will BYOK consume the free copilot quota?