Overview
Bring your own key means you paste an API key from an AI provider you already pay for. Taskade then uses that key to run AI steps in your automations. The provider bills you directly for those runs, and your Taskade AI credits stay untouched.
TL;DR: Connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Groq, or OpenRouter key to an automation. Every run then bills to your provider account and uses zero Taskade AI credits. One key field per provider, stored encrypted, reusable across every step in the workspace. See Pricing for what credits cover.
Pick the right lane first
Taskade has two separate places to bring your own key, and they power different things. Check this table before you paste anything.
| Provider steps (this page) | AI Model Keys | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the key goes | On the step, the first time you add that provider | The space's Connections page |
| What runs on it | That provider's own automation steps | Your AI agents and the built-in Taskade AI steps |
| Providers | OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter | OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google (shown as Google Vertex AI) |
| Who can use it | Every plan, including Free, which runs up to 10 automations a month | Enterprise, plus AppSumo and PitchGround lifetime plans |
The rest of this page covers the first column. For the second, see Bring Your Own AI Keys (Enterprise).
Connect a provider
Every provider connects the same way.
- Open Automations in your workspace and click Create.
- Add a trigger, then add a step and pick your provider.
- Click Connect.
- Paste your API Key into the single key field.
- Save. Taskade checks the key against the provider before it saves, so a typo or a revoked key fails right there.
Your key is masked in the interface and stored encrypted. One connection covers the whole workspace, so every automation step that uses that provider reuses it.
Two OpenAI steps, one name. You will see two OpenAI entries in the step list. The built-in Taskade AI one runs on your workspace credits with nothing to set up. The one on this page runs on your own key and bills your OpenAI account. The logos differ, and the description on the your-key version says it bills to your account.
Where to get each key
| Provider | Get your key at | Key starts with |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | platform.openai.com/api-keys | sk- |
| Anthropic Claude | console.anthropic.com/settings/keys | sk-ant- |
| Google Gemini | aistudio.google.com/apikey | AIza |
| Groq | console.groq.com/keys | gsk_ |
| OpenRouter | openrouter.ai/settings/keys | sk-or- |
Sign in to the provider, create a key, copy it once, and paste it into Taskade. Most providers show a key only at the moment you create it.
What each provider can do
| Provider | Steps available |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | Ask ChatGPT, Ask About an Image, Extract Structured Data, Generate Image |
| Anthropic Claude | Ask Claude, Ask About an Image, Extract Structured Data |
| Google Gemini | Ask Gemini, Ask About an Image, Extract Structured Data |
| Groq | Ask AI, Extract Structured Data |
| OpenRouter | Ask AI, Extract Structured Data |
Groq and OpenRouter cover the two text steps only. To ask about an image, pick OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, or Google Gemini. To generate an image, pick OpenAI.
One OpenRouter key reaches models from many providers at once. If you prefer one account instead of five, this is the shortest path.
Ask the model
The Ask step sends a prompt and returns the reply as text. Type the model name yourself, so you are never limited to a list Taskade curates. Whatever your key can reach, you can use.
Ask About an Image
Give the step an image and a question about it, and it returns a text answer. The image goes in as a public https:// link, such as one from a form upload or an earlier step in the same automation.
The Claude and Gemini versions download the image themselves before asking the model about it. Two things follow from that. An address on a private network is refused, so the link has to be reachable from the open internet. And an oversized file is rejected with a message naming the size limit, rather than being quietly cut short. The OpenAI version hands the link straight to OpenAI, which fetches it.
Extract Structured Data
Give the step a JSON schema and a piece of text, and it returns fields you can map into later steps.
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
data |
The extracted values |
raw |
The model's untouched reply |
parsed |
true only when the reply matches your schema, with required fields present and types correct |
parsed is stricter than "the model returned valid JSON", so it is safe to branch on. A schema the model cannot work with fails the step with a message instead of quietly returning something unusable.
Generate Image
Available on OpenAI. Type your prompt and leave the model field empty to use the current default image model. The step always returns a hosted url, which later steps reference like any other link. Sometimes the model hands back raw image data instead of a link. Taskade stores the picture for you, so you never deal with the raw bytes.
OpenAI retired its older DALL-E image models. If you type one of those names in, the step says so up front instead of letting the attempt fail on your account.
Credits and billing
| Step type | Who pays | Counts against Taskade credits |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in Taskade AI steps | Taskade, from your plan | Yes |
| Your own provider key | Your provider account | No |
Your provider sets the price of each run, and you watch usage in the provider's own dashboard. Taskade never adds a markup and never spends credits on a step that runs on your key. Everything else in the automation, such as triggers, filters, and workspace actions, behaves exactly as it always does.
Common patterns
| You want to | Build this |
|---|---|
| Run high-volume AI without spending credits | Swap the Taskade AI step for the same step on your own key |
| Use a model Taskade does not offer | Connect OpenRouter and type the model name |
| Pull fields out of an email or form | Extract Structured Data, then branch on parsed |
| Describe an uploaded screenshot | Ask About an Image with a public image link |
| Compare two providers on the same prompt | Two Ask steps side by side, then a step that reads both |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do these steps use my Taskade AI credits?
No. Runs on your own key bill to your provider account and consume zero Taskade AI credits. Only the built-in Taskade AI steps draw from your workspace credit pool.
Where is my API key stored?
Encrypted, at the workspace level, and masked in the interface after you save it. Taskade uses it only to run the steps in your automations. Revoke it in your provider's dashboard at any time to cut access off immediately.
Why are there two OpenAI steps?
One runs on Taskade credits with nothing to set up. The other runs on your own OpenAI key and bills your OpenAI account. Check the description on the step: the your-key version says it bills to your account.
Which models can I use?
Any model your key can reach. You type the model name into the step rather than picking from a fixed list, so a model your provider released yesterday works today.
When is parsed true on Extract Structured Data?
Only when the reply matches the schema you supplied, with required fields present and types correct. Valid JSON alone is not enough, which is what makes parsed safe to build a branch on.
Can my AI agents use my own key too?
Yes, on the second lane described in Pick the right lane first. Store AI Model Keys on the space's Connections page. Your AI agents and the built-in Taskade AI steps then run on them. That lane covers OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Google shows as Google Vertex AI, and connects with a free Google Cloud service account. The lane is available on Enterprise plus AppSumo and PitchGround lifetime plans.
One key covers the whole space, so agents and automations pick it up without per-agent setup. A subspace can run on a different account than its parent. Two things to watch. First, set the agent or step to a specific model rather than Auto, or it keeps running on Taskade credits. Second, Respond with AI, Prompt AI, and Categorize with AI offer OpenAI models only. Those three steps can use an OpenAI key only. Ask AI and Generate with AI can pin any of the three providers.
Taskade Genesis app building and Taskade EVE chat stay on Taskade credits either way, and your agents keep their built-in toolkit on either lane. See Bring Your Own AI Keys (Enterprise) for the walkthrough.
Related guides
- Automations. Triggers, steps, filters, and run history.
- AI Models and Credit Costs. What Taskade credits cover and how they are spent.
- Bring Your Own AI Keys (Enterprise). Workspace-level keys that your agents and built-in Taskade AI steps run on.
- MCP Client Integration. Call tools on a remote MCP server from an automation.
- Custom AI Agents. Build agents with their own instructions, knowledge, and tools.
- Integrations. The full catalog of triggers and actions.