Add user-funded AI to your vibe-coded app without collecting provider keys

Your vibe-coded app works until someone else presses Generate. Then the question changes from "Can the model do this?" to "Whose account pays?"

A provider-key form is one answer, but it asks a newcomer to become an API customer before trying your product. Another answer is AI Pass: the user connects a wallet through OAuth and funds supported AI usage without handing your app a provider API key. Your app still needs authorization and sensible data handling. It simply avoids collecting that particular secret.

Consider a small product called Brief Builder. A freelancer pastes rough project notes, chooses a deliverable, and gets an editable client brief. This is a proposed product walkthrough, not a claim that a deployed integration has been tested.

Start with the useful screen

Build the notes editor, section rearranging, and document export before connecting a model. Those features let someone understand the product without spending anything on generation. A filled example can demonstrate the output format, provided it is clearly labeled as an example rather than a live response.

Put the funding choice beside "Draft my brief," not inside an unrelated settings maze. Suggested copy:

Drafting uses AI. Connect AI Pass to fund this request from your wallet. Editing and exporting your saved brief do not require another generation.

If you already offer provider-key BYOK, leave it available. Label the choices "Use my provider key" and "Pay per use with AI Pass." They are different funding paths, not two names for the same credential.

Give the coding agent a narrow assignment

A vague prompt such as "add AI and monetize this" invites unnecessary changes. Supply a bounded implementation brief instead:

Add AI Pass to the existing Draft my brief action. Preserve the current host, login, notes database, and export behavior. Use the current official integration instructions. Do not request provider keys or replace existing billing. Before changing files, identify the AI entry point and explain whether this action belongs in the browser or backend. Implement one funding path and a visible error state first.

Point the agent to the current integration skill. Its setup process separates project authorization from runtime wallet access. Approving project setup does not authorize a coding agent to spend money on a test request.

For a browser-facing tool, the SDK documentation is the starting point. If Brief Builder inserts private server-held instructions or requires backend-only data processing, choose backend OAuth and consult the REST documentation. Do not move confidential inputs into the browser merely to shorten the implementation.

Make generation a reviewable action

Before submission, show the information being sent: selected notes, intended audience, tone, and requested sections. Let the user remove a sensitive paragraph. Keep the original notes intact when the response arrives.

The first output should be a draft with reviewable fields, not an automatically emailed proposal. For example, place "Scope," "Client responsibilities," and "Open questions" in separate editable sections. If the source notes never mention a deadline, the interface should invite the user to supply one rather than present an invented date as settled.

These decisions matter commercially. A plain text box can produce paragraphs; a useful brief builder helps the freelancer finish a document they can safely send.

Treat failed requests as unfinished work

A declined connection should return to the editor with the notes preserved. An insufficient-funding response should explain that generation did not complete and offer a deliberate next step. A timeout is more ambiguous: do not immediately send another paid request just because the browser stopped waiting.

Disable duplicate submission while a request is pending. Associate the attempt with the saved draft so a refresh does not erase all context. Describe the visible status honestly: "Draft request pending" is better than an animated success message before any result exists.

The existing authentication and billing guide also matters when your app has accounts. A connected wallet must not silently become the next person's funding source on a shared browser.

Sell the finished workflow

Brief Builder could charge for reusable client templates, branded exports, or a shared review workspace. Those are software features. Explain separately that AI Pass funds model usage. Eligible paid usage may also support developer earnings under current terms, but you should not budget for those earnings before confirming eligibility and actual activity.

Your release deliverable is a complete journey: someone edits notes, selects funding, approves a generation, reviews the result, and exports without an accidental second call. Verify that journey with an explicitly approved live request before calling the integration production-ready. Until then, describe it as an implementation awaiting wallet-funded verification.