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Models

What your own model is used for​

Your OpenAI key and custom models are used for chat only. The browser agent and its safety check, scheduled tasks and monitors run on BrowseWiz's own models and use your BrowseWiz credits, whatever model you chose for the chat. In the model menu, each model under BYOK models and Custom models says this in its tooltip.

When you chat with your own model:

  • Thumbs-up and thumbs-down ratings appear only on replies from BrowseWiz models.
  • Every tool you have turned on is sent to the model. Turn tools off in the Tools menu for a model that doesn't support tool (function) calling.
  • Whether the model can read images depends on the model. Attached images and screenshots are sent to whichever model is selected.

Your OpenAI key stays in this browser only: it isn't backed up or synced to your other browsers, it stays when you sign out, and it isn't in the data export.

Custom models on your other browsers​

While Back up everything except chats is on in Settings, your custom models are backed up and come back in any browser you sign in to, with their name, base URL and headers. Their API keys and the values of secret headers are never backed up: they stay in the browser where you entered them.

On a new browser, a restored model whose API key is elsewhere shows "Enter the API key on this device" under its name, and a secret header shows "Enter this value on this device" in its value field. Click Edit, enter the key or value and save. Until you do, chatting with that model fails with "Check the model's API key." Saving a key on one browser never changes the key on another.

Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)​

Provide your own OpenAI API key in the OpenAI API Key field to access whichever OpenAI models your key has access to. The key is saved as you type, and clearing the field removes it. Click Check to test the key you entered.

OpenAI API keys start with sk-; a saved key that doesn't start with sk- isn't used.

With a key saved, the model menu lists the models your key can use under BYOK models. BrowseWiz doesn't add or restrict models beyond what your OpenAI account already allows. If the list can't be loaded, the menu shows "Couldn't load models for your OpenAI key. Check it in Options → Models." and tries again the next time you open it. See Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).

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The key is encrypted and stored securely in your local storage. It is never sent to BrowseWiz servers.

Custom OpenAI API-compatible Model Endpoints​

Add custom models by providing their endpoint URLs. A custom model has:

  1. Model Name: the model name to include in the request payload (e.g., gemini-2.5-pro, claude-sonnet-4-20250514). Required.
  2. Endpoint Base URL: a base URL, which will have the /chat/completions path appended automatically. For example, https://api.example.com/v1 sends requests to https://api.example.com/v1/chat/completions. Required.
  3. API Key (optional): sent as the bearer token. It is stored encrypted in the extension's local storage.
  4. Headers (optional): extra request headers sent with every chat request to the endpoint, for example a workspace or organization ID.

Click Add Endpoint to save the model. If the name is empty or the URL isn't valid, the form shows "Please provide a valid name and URL." and nothing is saved.

Saved models are listed above the form. Edit loads a model back into the form; click Save Endpoint to update it or Cancel to discard your changes. The trash icon deletes a model right away, without asking for confirmation.

Saved custom models appear under Custom models in the model menu.

If a chat request to a custom model's endpoint fails, the chat names the endpoint as the source of the error: "<model>'s endpoint returned an error (HTTP <status>).", with a hint on HTTP 404 (check that the base URL ends at the API version, without /chat/completions, and that the model name is exact) and "Check the model's API key." on HTTP 401 or 403. If the endpoint can't be reached, it says "Couldn't reach <model>'s endpoint. Check the base URL." See Custom Models.

Headers​

Type a header name and value in the empty row, then click + (Add). A header is added only when both its name and its value are filled in. Added headers can be edited in place or removed with their trash icon. If a header name isn't a valid HTTP header name or a value is empty, saving shows "Please provide a valid header name and value."

  • Turn on the lock (Store securely) before adding a header to store it as a secret: its value is masked and stored encrypted. A header added with the lock off is stored in plain text.
  • Once a header is added, its lock shows how it is stored and can't be changed. To change it, delete the header and add it again.
  • A header named Authorization replaces the bearer token built from the API key.

Header values are sent only to your endpoint, never to the BrowseWiz backend.

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