Bring your own AI key: how Auten works with the model you already pay for

Auten is a tool, not a reseller of AI tokens. You can start on the AI included in your plan, or connect a key from a provider you already use. Either way the runner on your computer, the learning and the privacy rules stay exactly the same.

Why a bring-your-own-key option exists

• You keep one bill. If your company already pays for Claude or DeepSeek, the work Auten does lands on that account, with the limits and invoices you already have.
• You pick the model. A faster, cheaper model is often enough for clicking through a settings page. A stronger one is worth it for long, unfamiliar tasks.
• Nothing is locked in. Your learned skills do not belong to a model. Switch providers tomorrow and they keep replaying.

Each model runs in the environment it was built for

Claude models run inside Claude's own agent runtime. Models without an agent runtime of their own, such as DeepSeek or Groq, run in ours. We do this on purpose: an agent built around one model's prompts and conventions works worse when you swap a different model into it, so each one gets an environment that fits it.

Learning makes your key last longer

Because a task that Auten has learned replays without calling the model, you only pay for AI the first time and when something on screen changes. Repeated work, which is most work, costs no tokens at all.

How to connect a key

When you set up the runner, choose your provider and paste the key. It is saved in the runner's settings on your own computer and is used only for your own runs. You can change it or switch back to the included AI at any time.