BYOK LLM Key Model

Last verified: 2026-07-26 against dev at f0388abb.

The BYOK model lets a consuming application pay for and govern its own LLM usage when it calls LLM-backed SDP workflows.

Core Idea

The consumer owns a LiteLLM virtual key in its own vault. The key is loaded by the consumer's server tier and forwarded to SDP per request. SDP uses it transiently for that request and never persists it.

Why the Browser Is Excluded

A browser would expose the key in network tools and client bundles. The only acceptable pattern is:

browser -> consumer backend/BFF -> SDP -> LiteLLM

The key is attached only on the server-to-server hop.

Security Properties

• Caller authentication remains separate from the LLM key.
• The LLM key authorizes spend/quota, not SDP access.
• The key is redacted from logs, traces, errors, and responses.
• A leaked virtual key can be rotated and rate-limited per consumer.

Status

The detailed design note is currently marked draft: BYOK LLM Keys for SDP Consumers.