How to run an AI coding agent without your own API key

Every "free" AI coding agent eventually hits the same wall: paste an API key to continue. Liminal AI removes that wall two ways. bring your own key and pay your provider directly, or use managed inference and skip key setup entirely. Here's how each works, and when to pick which.

The API-key tax on getting started#

An AI coding agent is only useful once it can call a model. For most local and open-source agents that means a setup detour before you've written a single prompt: sign up for OpenAI or OpenRouter, add a payment method, generate a key, find the right base URL, and paste it into a config file. It's not hard: it's just friction, and it's enough to make a lot of people bounce before they see the tool actually work.

Liminal AI is a free, local-first coding agent: it edits your repo, runs tests and shell commands, uses git, and researches the web, all on your machine. Because it's model-agnostic, it has always supported any OpenAI-compatible provider. As of v0.0.16 it also supports running with no provider key of your own.

Option 1. Bring your own key (Community Edition)#

This is the classic local-agent setup, and it stays completely free. You point Liminal at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint and pay that provider directly for tokens. Vireon takes no margin on your model spend.

• OpenRouter (recommended). one key, hundreds of models, and prompt-cache discounts on supported routes.
• OpenAI / Anthropic. use your existing account directly.
• Local models. run fully offline through Ollama or LM Studio by pointing AGENT_API_BASE_URL at your local server.

Bring-your-own-key is the right choice when you already have a provider account, want a specific model, or need everything (including inference) to stay on infrastructure you control.

Option 2. Managed inference (Pro)#

If you'd rather not manage a provider account at all, managed inference routes Liminal's model calls through Vireon's metered, OpenAI-compatible proxy. Sign in once and the agent just works: no key, no base URL, no separate billing relationship.

• No key setup. sign in with liminal login and the harness defaults to managed routing.
• Included credits. Pro comes with a monthly credit allowance at pass-through rates, with optional top-ups when you need more.
• Transparent usage. the web UI shows a live usage banner, and Account → Managed inference shows remaining credits.
• Switch anytime. flip back to bring-your-own-key in Settings whenever you want.

Even with managed inference, the agent still runs on your machine: only the model call is proxied. Your repository, shell, git state, and memory stay local.

Which should you choose?#

Both run the exact same harness. 500+ tools, persistent memory, sub-agents, and a live tool stream. The only difference is where the model call goes.

Get started in about 90 seconds#

1. Install (macOS / Linux / WSL)

   curl -fsSL https://www.vireondynamics.com/install/install.sh | bash
   

2. Install (Windows PowerShell)

   irm https://www.vireondynamics.com/install/install.ps1 | iex
   

3. Pick your path

   Add an OpenAI-compatible key in the wizard for Community, or run liminal login for Pro managed inference.

4. Open the UI

   Launch the web or terminal UI: same agent underneath.

FAQ#

Do I need an API key to use Liminal AI? Not necessarily. Community Edition is bring-your-own-key (paste any OpenAI-compatible key). On Pro, managed inference routes calls for you, so you can run Liminal with no provider key at all.

Is the agent still free? Yes: the Liminal software is free under FSL-1.1-MIT. With your own key you pay only your provider for tokens. Managed inference is a Pro feature with included monthly credits.

Does my code get sent to Vireon? No. The agent runs locally. With managed inference, only the model request is proxied; your repository, files, and session logs stay on your machine.

Can I switch between the two? Anytime, in Settings. Many people start on managed inference and later add their own key (or vice versa).