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API keys let you invoke Braintrust experts programmatically — from scripts, CI/CD pipelines, custom applications, or any HTTP client. Each key is tied to your account and carries your access permissions.

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Opening the API Keys Manager

  1. Click the settings icon (gear icon) at the bottom-left of the sidebar, next to your name.
Settings icon highlighted at the bottom-left of the sidebar

Click the settings icon next to your name

  1. In the Settings modal, click Manage API Keys.
Settings modal with Manage API Keys button highlighted

Settings modal — click Manage API Keys

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Creating an API Key

1

Enter a key name

Type a descriptive name in the field (for example: ci-pipeline, slack-bot, local-dev). Names help you identify which key belongs to which integration.
2

Click Create New Key

Click the Create New Key button. The key is created immediately.
API Keys modal with Create New Key button highlighted

API Keys modal — enter a name and click Create New Key

3

Copy the key now

The full key is shown once — immediately after creation. Copy it and store it securely (for example, in a password manager or as an environment variable).
API key created successfully with copy button highlighted

The full key is visible only at creation time — copy it immediately

After you leave this view, the key is truncated for security. There is no way to retrieve the full value again. If you lose it, delete the key and create a new one.
Done. You now have an API key. Use it as the x-api-key header on every API request.

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Using Your API Key

Pass the key as a header on every request:
Example:
See API Reference for the full request format.

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Deleting a Key

Click the trash icon next to any key in the list to delete it permanently. Deletion is immediate — any integration using that key will stop working.
Before deleting a key used in production, rotate it: create the new key first, update all integrations, then delete the old key.

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Security Best Practices

  • Never commit API keys to source control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.
  • Never log keys in plain text. Treat them like passwords.
  • Use one key per integration. This makes it easy to revoke access for a single system without affecting others.
  • Use HTTPS only. The API rejects plain HTTP connections.

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Next Steps

API Reference

Full request format, streaming events, async mode, and error codes.

Triggers

Run experts on a schedule without any code.