> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.eluup.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authenticate with the ELUUP AI API

> Learn how to generate and use ELUUP AI API keys. Pass your key as a Bearer token in the Authorization header, manage scopes, and rotate keys securely.

The ELUUP AI API uses API keys passed as Bearer tokens in the `Authorization` header. Every request to the API must include a valid key. This page explains how to generate keys, pass them in requests, and manage them securely.

## Generate an API key

1. Log in to your ELUUP AI account at [app.eluup.ai](https://app.eluup.ai)
2. Go to **Settings > API Keys**
3. Click **Generate Key**
4. Enter a descriptive name (for example, "Production Trading Bot")
5. Select the scope you need (see below)
6. Copy the key immediately. It is shown only once.

<Warning>
  Store your API key in a secure location. If you lose it, you will need to generate a new one. Never share keys in public repositories or client-side code.
</Warning>

## Pass your API key

Include your key in the `Authorization` header on every request as a Bearer token.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET "https://api.eluup.ai/v1/account" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

If the key is missing or invalid, the API returns a `401 Unauthorized` response:

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": {
    "code": "unauthorized",
    "message": "Invalid or missing API key"
  }
}
```

## Key scopes

API keys can have one of two scopes. Choose the minimum scope needed for your integration.

| Scope         | Access                                                                                                      |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `read-only`   | Fetch signals, list agents, view trades and balances. No write operations.                                  |
| `full-access` | All read operations plus create, update, delete, and start/stop agents, execute trades, and manage wallets. |

When generating a key, select the scope that matches your use case. A read-only key is appropriate for dashboards and analytics. A full-access key is required for deploying and controlling trading agents.

## Rotate your API key

To rotate a key:

1. Go to **Settings > API Keys** in the ELUUP AI dashboard
2. Find the key you want to rotate
3. Click **Revoke** to invalidate it immediately
4. Generate a new key with the same scope
5. Update your application to use the new key

Rotated keys are invalidated instantly. Any requests using the old key will receive a `401 Unauthorized` response.

## Environment variables

Never hardcode API keys in your source code. Load them from environment variables instead.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash .env theme={null}
  ELUUP_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
  ```

  ```typescript TypeScript theme={null}
  import { EluupClient } from "@eluupai/sdk";

  const client = new EluupClient({
    apiKey: process.env.ELUUP_API_KEY,
  });
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import os
  from eluup_ai import EluupClient

  client = EluupClient(api_key=os.environ["ELUUP_API_KEY"])
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  If you are building a client-side application, proxy API requests through your own backend. Exposing an API key in browser or mobile code puts your account and funds at risk.
</Note>

## Next steps

* [Quickstart: deploy your first agent](/quickstart)
* [API Reference overview](/api-reference/introduction)
* [Error codes and handling](/reference/errors)