Bring Your Own AI Key

Connect your own AI provider so AI usage is free — you pay your provider directly.

Coco HR runs on AI by default (billed per the rate card). If you'd rather use your own provider account, add your API key under AI Settings. This guide shows how, and what it changes on your bill.

Who can do this

AI Settings lives under Settings > AI Settings and is managed by your Company Admin. (If your key is locked by a Coco administrator, the controls appear greyed out with a "managed by Coco admin" note.)

What bringing your own key changes

  • AI usage becomes free on Coco HR — you're billed by your own provider instead.
  • Other metering still applies: storage, active applicants, and async video submissions are billed as usual. See Billing and pricing.
  • On the Billing page, your plan state can show Own-key free for AI.

Supported providers

Choose from the provider pills on the AI Settings page:

  • Platform default (use Coco HR's managed AI — the standard billed option)
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • OpenRouter
  • Groq
  • Mistral
  • Custom (with your own Base URL)

Connect your key

  1. Go to Settings > AI Settings.
  2. Select your provider from the pills. For Custom, enter the Base URL for your endpoint.
  3. Choose the model you want to use from the model selector.
  4. Paste your API key.
  5. Run the connection test — Coco HR verifies the key before saving.
  6. Save.

Change or remove your key

  • To switch providers or models, return to AI Settings, update your selection, re-test, and save.
  • To go back to Coco HR's managed AI, select Remove Key and choose Platform default.

Tips

  • Always run the connection test — it catches a wrong key or endpoint before it affects live assessments.
  • Keep your provider account funded; if your key stops working, AI scoring depends on it.
  • Bringing your own key is ideal if you already have negotiated provider rates or compliance requirements.