Custom model is not working

[snova-rodrigom]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Hi,

I’m trying to use a custom model by overriding the openai url base and api key. I add a custom model but it’s not working.

Could someone help please?

Thanks

Steps to Reproduce

Open cursor
Go to Settings → Models
Add Custom Model
Enable OpenAI key and add custom key
Enable OpenAI base url and add custom url
Go to chat and set Ask
Test with simple prompt

Expected Behavior

Chat should answer properly

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.3.34
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 643ba67cd252e2888e296dd0cf34a0c5d7625b90
Date: 2026-01-10T21:17:10.428Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.2.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Meta-Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct (custom)

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report.

The issue is that BYOK is only available for Pro users. In your screenshot I can see “Free Plan”, so custom models won’t work.

To use your OpenAI API key with a custom base URL:

• Upgrade to the Pro plan at cursor.com/settings
• After that, you’ll be able to add your API key and base URL

About SambaNova specifically: there’s an official integration here Build with Cursor - SambaNova Integration Guide, but it also requires Pro.

One more thing: even on Pro, custom models like Meta-Llama may currently have issues because of client-side validation in recent Cursor versions. Similar reports are here: Custom Model problems

Let me know if you still have issues after upgrading to Pro, and I’ll ask the team to take a look at your specific SambaNova case.