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Get Your API Key

Your Custodian Labs API key is generated automatically after you activate a plan. Use it to authenticate requests from your application.

Each key is linked to your account and active plan. Its usage allowance, request limit, and renewal cycle are determined by that plan.

Find your API key​

  1. Sign in to the Dashboard.
  2. Open API Keys in the sidebar.
  3. Find the key linked to your active plan.

Your API key looks like this:

custodian_labs_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you have not activated a plan yet, the page displays No API Keys Yet. Continue to Choose a plan first.

Reveal and copy your key​

API keys are hidden by default to prevent accidental exposure.

  1. Click the eye icon to reveal the full key.
  2. Click Copy to copy it to your clipboard.
  3. The revealed key is hidden again automatically after five seconds.

:::warning Keep your key private Treat your API key like a password. Never share it publicly, paste it into support messages, commit it to version control, or expose it in client-side browser code. :::

Store your key securely​

For Guardian Layer API requests, store your key in an environment variable:

export CUSTODIAN_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

For the Python SDK, use:

export CUSTODIAN_SDK_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

In production, use your hosting platform's secret management tools, such as Vercel Environment Variables or AWS Secrets Manager.

Understand your key details​

Each key card shows:

FieldDescription
PlanThe subscription plan linked to the key
Created onThe date when the key was generated
RenewsThe renewal date for the current cycle
Token usageYour current usage and token allowance
Request usageYour current number of requests and request allowance
Key capacityThe number of keys available for your plan

The summary cards at the top of the page show your total keys, active keys, monthly token quota, and monthly request quota.

Refresh your keys​

If you activated a plan but do not see a key immediately:

  1. Click Refresh on the API Keys page.
  2. Confirm that your plan is active on the Subscriptions page.
  3. If you completed a paid checkout, wait a few seconds and refresh again.
  4. Contact support if the key still does not appear.

If your key is exposed​

If you accidentally share your full API key, treat it as compromised and stop using it.

Contact support to revoke or rotate the exposed key. Do not continue using a key that has appeared in chat messages, screenshots, logs, or public repositories.

Examples​

Get your API key demo

Next steps​

Now that you have an API key, verify that it works:

Then choose the path that fits your application: