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Use Your Own Models

Once a provider is connected, using it is like switching which engine is under the hood — the car looks and drives the same, but the fuel bill goes to a different account. There are three places to flip the switch: in a chat, as your default, and on an agent.

From the chat​

Every chat box has a model menu. Your connected account appears there as its own group, right under Nirvai's models:

Click the model pill in the chat box and your connected account shows up as its own group. Pick a model there — the reply costs no credits.
  1. Click the model name in the chat box.
  2. Pick a model under your provider's group — it's marked "Use your own API key — no credits spent".
  3. Chat normally. Every reply in that conversation now runs on your account.

This works in the main chat and in the AI assistants across Nirvai — Research, the setup chats for tools, credentials, databases and memories.

Switching mid-conversation

If the conversation has already started, Nirvai asks before switching ("Switch model mid-chat?") — the new model won't have the same "feel" as the one that started the conversation. For a clean switch, start a new chat.

As your default for new chats​

Don't want to pick it every time?

  1. Open AI Providers and open your provider.
  2. Next to its default model, turn on "Use it for new chats".

Every new chat now starts on your model automatically. Chats you already have keep the model they're on. Turn it off (or pick Use Nirvai models) to go back.

On an agent​

An agent's model is part of the agent itself — set it once and it applies everywhere that agent works:

  1. Open your agent's control panel.
  2. In the model selector, pick a model under Custom model — your provider's group.
  3. Save.

From then on:

  • Web chat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Instagram, Messenger, the website chatbot — the agent answers on your model on all of them. Customer messages to your WhatsApp agent spend no credits.
  • Sharing — teammates using your shared agent run it on your key (you're the owner), while anything they do outside the agent stays on their own billing.
Your key becomes the agent's lifeline

If the key stops working — revoked, out of funds — the agent doesn't go silent: it falls back to Nirvai models (billed in credits) and the provider card shows Needs attention. Fix the key to switch back automatically.

What's next​

  • See exactly how billing, fallbacks and limits behave in the technical reference.
  • Check the Analytics tab in AI Providers to watch what your own models are saving you.