Custom AI agents
Real tool access and defined guardrails, not a chatbot demo.
Does the work, not just the talking
Custom AI Development
Custom AI, built by a senior engineer.
Yours to keep.
When your problem is too specific for a template and too important for a no-code hobbyist, we scope it, architect it, build it, and hand you the keys. Source, documentation, and a running system you own. Led directly by a principal engineer, not routed to a junior team.
Paid scoping sprint, credited to the buildFixed scopeYou own the source
What we build
The builds packaged products don't cover.
Bespoke AI and automation for work that falls outside every packaged scope. If it's specific to your business, this is where it gets built.
AI features in your product
Chat, extraction, classification, generation, and summarization, embedded in your own app.
Shipped without burning a core-team quarter
Deep integrations
Systems that don't talk to each other (CRM, ops, billing, warehouse), made to.
One connected flow, not silos
Internal tools
AI in the loop on the workflow that's costing you the most.
The expensive manual process, modeled
Data pipelines
Ingest, clean, enrich, structure, serve.
Clean data on a schedule
Retrieval / RAG
Answers grounded in your own knowledge base.
Your corpus, searchable in plain English
Secrets in env vars · handled error states, no silent failures · US-only edge access by default on Key's Touch infra
Who it's for
Built for a specific, hard problem, not a generic one.
Custom AI Development is the right call when the outcome is worth senior engineering. Here's who it fits.
Funded startups & scale-ups
Seed–Series B teams that need an AI feature shipped inside their own product without burning a core-team quarter on it.
Operators & SMB owners
A specific, expensive manual process (quoting, intake, review, routing, reconciliation) that a generic tool can't model.
Agencies & product teams
Teams embedding AI under their own brand, or that need a data pipeline, a RAG layer, or a custom agent and lack in-house AI depth.
Choose custom over a packaged product when: your need is outside every packaged scope, the problem is novel or ambiguous,
the workflow is specific to your business, or it must live inside your own product or stack. If a packaged product solves it
better and cheaper, we'll point you there. That's the honest call.
Why this
Why senior custom, not an agency or no-code.
One senior engineer accountable for one outcome, not a body-shop of contractors or a black-box platform you can't debug.
- The principal builds it: led by Key, Principal Software Architect and AI engineer. No bait-and-switch to a junior team.
- We price the unknown out: a paid scoping sprint produces a real spec and a fixed-scope quote before you commit. No guessing.
- You own everything: source, spec, and system transfer to you on final payment. No lock-in, no license treadmill.
- Edge cases in the spec, not production: we model the failure states before we write the happy path.
- Fixed scope, clean handoff: change-control keeps the price honest and the finish line real.
- Not a black box: no subscription to a platform you can't debug, no no-code you can't extend.
How it works
Scoped before it's quoted. Owned when it's done.
A paid scoping sprint removes the single biggest risk in custom work (quoting the unknown) before any fixed-scope build proposal exists.
1
Scoping sprint · 5–10 days
Paid, credited to the build. We map the problem, review real system and data access, and write down the happy path, failure states, and edge cases. You get a spec, a fixed-scope proposal, and a risk register you keep either way.
2
Design
Detailed architecture, data model, and interface contracts locked before a line of feature code. No component is chosen until the requirement it serves is written down.
3
Build
Iterative delivery in vertical slices you can see, with a standing weekly review. A working thin path first, then depth. No dark periods.
4
Test & harden
Edge cases, failure modes, load and behavior testing, and a security pass. Guardrails and handled error states are treated as features, not afterthoughts.
5
Handoff
Docs, SOPs, source transfer, and a recorded walkthrough. On final payment you own the source, the spec, and the running system.
Requirements before architecture. Every technical decision traces back to a stated need, and constraints (latency,
cost per operation, data residency, existing systems, and your team's ability to maintain it) drive the design. We pick the cheapest
model that meets the quality bar and benchmark on your data, not vendor benchmarks.
Timeline
Phased, with real dates, not a vague range.
Durations are typical ranges; the scoping sprint sets exact dates for your project. Complexity, integration count, and access latency are the main drivers.
Phase 0 · Scoping sprint
Requirements, edge cases, architecture sketch, spec + fixed-scope proposal.
5–10 business days
Phase 1 · Design
Detailed architecture, data model, interface/contract definitions, environment setup.
1–2 weeks
Phase 2 · Build
Iterative delivery in vertical slices, regular review cadence.
3–10 weeks
Phase 3 · Test & harden
Edge cases, failure modes, load/behavior testing, security pass.
1–2 weeks
Phase 4 · Handoff
Docs, SOPs, source transfer, walkthrough, transition.
3–5 business days
Typical total, excluding the sprint: 6–14 weeks. Small, well-bounded builds land near the low end;
multi-integration or in-product embedded features land near the high end.
Cadence during build: a standing weekly review, a shared status view, and demoable progress at each milestone. No dark periods.
Deliverables
What "you own it" means, concretely.
Every engagement delivers all of the following.
- Technical specification: the living document from the sprint, updated to as-built at handoff.
- The working system: deployed and running in your environment (or a managed environment you control).
- Full source code: in your repository, under your account/org. Yours outright on final payment.
- Documentation: architecture overview, setup/run instructions, env-var reference, integration notes.
- SOPs / runbooks: how to operate it, handle known failure modes, and extend it.
- Handoff walkthrough: a live, recorded session covering architecture, operation, and where to change things.
- Config & secrets guidance: env-var-based config, documented; secret values never committed.
- Post-handoff bug window: a defined defect-fix window (typically 14–30 days) at no extra cost.
Ownership is clean. On final payment you own the source, the spec, and the running system. No platform lock-in,
no license you have to keep paying, no dependency on Key's Touch to operate what you paid for.
Pricing
Priced after scoping, never guessed up front.
Start with a scoping sprint. The fixed-scope project price is set in the proposal that comes out of it.
Scoping sprint: $2,500–$5,000, sized to problem complexity, over 5–10 business days.
Produces the spec, fixed-scope proposal, and risk register. 100% credited toward the build if you proceed within 60 days.
Deliverables are yours regardless.
Focused build
Single agent, one integration, or one internal tool; bounded scope.
Fixed quote after scoping
Standard custom
Multi-component system, several integrations, or an embedded AI feature.
Fixed quote after scoping
Complex / platform
Multi-system, data pipeline + retrieval + agents, or a production-critical embed.
Fixed quote after scoping
Phased payment. Sprint paid in full to begin (credited). Build kickoff 40%, mid-build milestone 30%, handoff/acceptance 30%.
Final payment triggers source ownership transfer, and milestones tie to demoable deliverables so payment tracks real progress.
Optional retainer. Month-to-month, scoped after implementation, for ongoing maintenance, monitoring, small enhancements, and model/provider updates. Never required to own or operate what we built.
Optional retainer. Month-to-month, scoped after implementation, for ongoing maintenance, monitoring, small enhancements, and model/provider updates. Never required to own or operate what we built.
Fixed scope · change-control on any scope change (scope, price, and timeline delta, approved before work) · US-based clients
Who builds it
The principal is the person who builds it.
Custom AI Development is led directly by Key, a Principal Software Architect and AI engineer, not routed to a junior team or a prompt-and-pray no-code stack. Built and shipped: production AI systems, multi-agent architectures, custom integrations, and data pipelines, with model selection, cost control, guardrails, and clean handoff, end to end, for real operators. This service is where that depth goes to work on your specific problem.
Principal Software Architect
AI Engineer
Multi-Agent Systems
Full-Stack + Data Pipelines
FAQ
The questions clients actually ask.
How do you price something when the requirements aren't fully known?
We don't. That's the entire reason the scoping sprint exists. We run a short, paid engineering analysis first, then quote a fixed scope against a written spec. You never get a number pulled from the air, and we never have to pad the price to cover our own uncertainty. The sprint credits fully toward the build.
Do we own the code?
Yes, outright, on final payment. Source, spec, and the running system all transfer to your repository and accounts. No license you have to keep paying, no platform lock-in, no dependency on us to operate it.
What happens if scope changes mid-project?
Change-control. Any change is written up as a Change Order stating the scope delta, price delta, and timeline delta, and you approve it before we do the work. Nothing outside the signed proposal gets built silently, and you never get a surprise invoice. Small clarifications inside the existing scope don't trigger this; only actual scope changes do.
How long does a project take?
Most builds run 6–14 weeks from design to handoff, plus the 5–10 business-day scoping sprint up front. Small bounded builds are faster; multi-integration or in-product embeds take longer. The scoping sprint gives you real dates. The most common cause of delay is slow client access to systems and decisions, and we flag that dependency up front.
What tech stack do you use?
Whatever fits your constraints and your team's ability to maintain it. We're stack-agnostic on purpose. Commonly TypeScript or Python services, a Postgres-class database, a queue/scheduler for pipelines, a retrieval layer for RAG, and the appropriate model provider(s). We pick the cheapest model that meets the quality bar and benchmark on your data. The scoping sprint names the exact stack for your build and explains every choice.
Who actually does the work?
Key, Principal Software Architect and AI engineer, leads and builds the engagement. You're not sold by a senior and handed to juniors. This service exists for the problems that need real senior engineering judgment.
Why is the scoping sprint paid?
Because it's real work that produces a document you can build from, with us or anyone else. Paying for it filters for serious projects and lets us do the analysis properly instead of guessing on a free call. It credits 100% toward the build, so if you proceed, it costs you nothing net.
Can you build AI into our existing product?
Yes. Embedded AI features inside your own app are a core use case: chat, extraction, classification, generation, summarization, retrieval. We integrate into your codebase and hand it back documented and owned.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Every build includes a post-handoff bug-fix window (14–30 days) at no cost. Beyond that, an optional month-to-month retainer, scoped after implementation, covers maintenance, monitoring, enhancements, and provider/model updates. It's optional; you can fully own and run the system without it.
Are you a fit for non-US companies?
No. Key's Touch LLC serves US-based clients only.
Get started
Tell us about the problem. We'll tell you if custom is the right call.
A few quick questions so the scoping conversation is sharp from minute one. Takes about 90 seconds.
Pick a time. That's it.
Choose a 15-minute slot to walk through the problem and whether a scoping sprint is the right next step.
15 minZoomYou'll talk to Key directly
Based on your answers, a full custom build may be more than you need right now. If your workflow is standard, one of our packaged products is likely the faster, lower-cost path. And if you'd rather learn to build on your own timeline, our sister brand Key Builds AI will serve you better.
Have a problem the templates can't solve?
Start with a scoping sprint. In under two weeks you'll have a real spec, a fixed price, and a clear decision: build it with us or take the plan and go. Either way, you'll know exactly what it takes. The sprint credits 100% toward the build.
Book a scoping sprint →