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How to connect Cursor to CheapTokens

Use your CheapTokens key in Cursor's chat — the API Keys settings, a custom model ID, and which Cursor features keep running on Cursor.

By CheapTokens TeamPublished 1 min read

Cursor chat connected to the CheapTokens API
On this page
  1. Before you start
  2. Step 1. Key and address
  3. Step 2. Add the model
  4. Step 3. Check that it works
  5. Switching back to Cursor's models

Cursor lets you use your own API key for its chat. Set the key and the base URL in the settings, add one of our model IDs as a custom model, and the chat runs on open-weight models at fixed per-token prices. The field names follow Cursor's documentation as of October 2026; the setup has not been run on a live installation yet.

Before you start#

Step 1. Key and address#

Open Cursor Settings → Models → API Keys and fill in:

Field Value
OpenAI API Key your CheapTokens key
Override OpenAI Base URL https://api.cheaptokens.dev/v1

Step 2. Add the model#

In the models list add a custom model with the full ID, for example deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731. Other IDs: zai-org/GLM-5.3-Flash, MiniMaxAI/MiniMax-M2.7 — see GLM vs DeepSeek vs MiniMax.

Step 3. Check that it works#

Pick the added model in the chat and send a short question. An answer means the setup is done; an error code is explained in Connection errors and fixes.

Switching back to Cursor's models#

While your key and base URL are on, they apply to every model except Claude and Gemini ones, so Cursor's own models reject the request. Turn the OpenAI API Key switch off to go back to them.

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