Hi, I am new to Cursor, so excuse my ignorance. But I read the docs and it says:
Custom API keys only work for features that use standard models from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
It also says:
Some Cursor features (like Tab Completion, Apply from Chat, and Composer) require specialized models and won’t work with custom API keys.
So can anyone list the actions in Cursor that use your API keys? If they don’t use Tab Completion (the main feature, right?), I am not sure what the API requests apply to … which means … do you need PRO if you go beyond your quota?
Some clarification, also, on when API keys kick in would be helpful.
Thanks for the question.
In Cursor we have a few core features:
Tab Completion, AI Chat, CMD+K, Composer and Agent
While Tab is the first and simplest to learn and use, the Composer and it’s Agent mode are arguably the most powerful, being able to write multi-file code changes from one prompt.
CMD+K (or CTRL+K on Windows) and the AI Chat are the only features that work with an API key and no Pro plan.
If you get a Pro plan, you can then use your API Key with the Composer too, because your Pro plan unlocks some additional models that are used in Composer, but are not the primary model.
Tab and Agent mode are the two features that will likely never work with an API key, irrespective of a plan or not.
You can find out more about all these features on our documentation site, here:
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