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Overview

Cursor supports bring-your-own-key (BYOK) providers, but custom API keys only work with standard chat models. Use LemonData here as an OpenAI-compatible endpoint for chat-style editor workflows, not as a full replacement for every Cursor model feature.

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Configuration

  1. Open Cursor Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
  2. Navigate to Models in the left sidebar
  3. Scroll down to the OpenAI API Key section
  4. Enter your LemonData API key
  5. Enable Override OpenAI Base URL
  6. Set the Base URL to:
https://api.lemondata.cc/v1
Cursor custom API keys only apply to standard chat models. Tab Completion and other Cursor-managed specialized features will continue using Cursor’s built-in providers.
Cursor’s custom API key flow only applies to standard chat models. Features that require specialized Cursor-managed models, such as Tab Completion and some reasoning-specific flows, will continue using Cursor’s built-in providers. Cursor also notes that requests still pass through its backend for final prompt assembly.

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Model Selection

After configuration, prefer standard chat models exposed through LemonData:
ModelBest For
gpt-5.4General coding, debugging, chat
gpt-5-miniFast edits and lightweight prompts

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What Works Best

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Chat and editor flows

Use LemonData through Cursor for:
  • Code explanations
  • Bug fixing
  • Refactoring suggestions
  • Documentation generation

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What stays on Cursor-managed models

These features do not reliably switch to your LemonData endpoint:
  • Tab Completion
  • Specialized non-standard chat models
  • Provider-specific features that Cursor only enables on built-in models

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Troubleshooting

Cursor caches model and provider state. Restart Cursor after configuring the API key and base URL.
Custom API keys only work with standard chat models. If a model uses specialized Cursor infrastructure, switch to a standard chat model such as gpt-5.4.
Verify your API key is correct and has sufficient balance.
Cursor’s BYOK configuration can affect other provider flows. If another model path breaks after enabling the OpenAI base URL override, disable the override and restart Cursor.

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Tips

Use appropriate models

Use gpt-5-mini for quick chat-style tasks and gpt-5.4 for heavier coding work.

Check your balance

Monitor usage in your LemonData dashboard.