Hosted vs BYOK Runtime Modes — MerchantDrafts Docs

Short Answer

MerchantDrafts has two runtime modes:

Hosted: MerchantDrafts runs generation through its own backend and uses your MerchantDrafts plan quota.
BYOK: MerchantDrafts sends generation directly to Google Gemini using your own API key.

Use Hosted when you want the simplest setup.

BYOK means Bring Your Own Key.

Available on Agency Pro Premium and Agency White Premium in the direct monthly ladder.
Partner/LTD packaging may also include BYOK under the LTD label family.
Paid LTD tiers can add hosted PAYG refill packs after the starter bank.
BYOK remains available on the agency-capable tiers, but it is no longer the only continuation path for LTD packaging.
Requires your own Google Gemini API key.
Requests bypass MerchantDrafts hosted quota and run against your own Google billing.
Useful for advanced users who want direct control over Gemini usage and model choice.

Question	Hosted	BYOK
Who provides the runtime?	MerchantDrafts backend	Your Gemini API key
Do you need a MerchantDrafts license?	Yes	Yes, and the plan must allow BYOK
Do you need your own Gemini key?	No	Yes
What usage model applies?	MerchantDrafts quota	Your own Google API billing
Best for	Fastest onboarding, normal use, and PAYG-capable hosted tiers	Operators who want direct Gemini billing and runtime control

Use Hosted if you want the cleanest onboarding and included plan quota.
Use BYOK only if your plan allows it and you intentionally want your own Gemini billing path.

Go to MerchantDrafts → About / License.
In the License & Runtime card, set Runtime Mode to BYOK.
Paste your Gemini API key into the Gemini API Key (BYOK) field. Keys start with AIza and are 39 characters long.
Click Save & Revalidate. A green confirmation appears when the key is saved and BYOK is active.

You can switch back to Hosted at any time by changing Runtime Mode back to Hosted (default) and saving.

About / License is the canonical place to manage both license validation and runtime mode.

Important naming note:

Get Premium uses commercial labels such as Agency Pro Premium.
About / License may still store a legacy runtime plan slug underneath while showing the same commercial entitlement state.
When in doubt, trust About / License for the current site's live runtime state.

If Hosted fails, check license validation and backend access.
If BYOK fails, check that the Gemini key is saved, valid, and allowed for the selected models.
Switching to BYOK without entitlement will still fail even if you paste a Gemini key.