Account
Bring Your Own Key
What Is BYOK?
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) lets you create a completely custom AI companion on Telegram using your own bot token. Cloa already offers 32 built-in companions — girlfriends, boyfriends, and friends — each with their own personality and voice. BYOK goes further by letting you design a persona from scratch with full control over its identity and behavior.
This is for advanced users who want a companion that does not exist in the built-in roster.
BYOK setup screen
Why Use BYOK?
- Create a companion beyond the 32 built-in personas — fully custom name, personality, and behavior
- Run your own Telegram bot under your own account
- Control API usage and billing with your own key
- Experiment with different persona styles without affecting your existing companions
How to Set Up
- Create a Telegram bot via BotFather to get a bot token
- Open the Cloa app
- Go to the Settings tab → BYOK, or open Menu → Settings → BYOK
- Enter your Telegram bot token
- Configure your companion's persona (name, personality, behavior)
- Start chatting with your bot on Telegram
What You Get
Your BYOK bot has the same capabilities as the built-in AI Companions:
- Access to your long-term memory
- Natural conversation with your chosen personality
- Telegram-native messaging experience
The difference is that you define the persona entirely yourself, rather than choosing from the curated roster of 32 companions.
Cost
With BYOK, API usage is billed to your own key. Cloa does not charge separately for BYOK Telegram bot usage.
What's Next
- Browse the 32 built-in companions in AI Companions
- Connect Telegram as an integration in Telegram