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Manage API keys

AdCue API keys are personal access tokens with the sk_live_ prefix. Manage them from adcue.app/app/keys.
This page documents the API key UI lifecycle only. It does not claim that the production MCP endpoint currently accepts sk_live_ Bearer authentication. Use only an authentication path that AdCue has explicitly enabled for your client and account. The official ChatGPT connector does not require an API key.

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Before you create a key

You need:
  • A signed-in AdCue account
  • Available active-key quota on your current plan
  • A secure password manager or secrets store for the one-time secret
The Keys page shows your current active count, plan name, and active-key limit. If your account has no active plan, the limit is zero and key generation is disabled.

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Create a key

  1. Open AI Agent API Keys.
  2. Review the active-key quota shown above the list.
  3. Choose Generate New Key.
  4. Enter a recognizable name, such as the client or environment that will own it.
  5. Choose Generate.
The default name is Default if you leave the name unchanged. A generated key becomes active immediately in the Keys UI.

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Copy the secret once

After creation, AdCue displays the complete sk_live_ secret in a Copy your key now notice. Choose Copy and store it before dismissing the notice or leaving the page.
The complete secret is shown only once. AdCue stores a hash and short prefix, not a retrievable copy of the plaintext key. If you lose the secret, revoke that key and create a replacement.
Never paste a key into chat messages, support tickets, public issues, screenshots, or source control. Do not use the example placeholder sk_live_your_token_here as a real credential.

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Understand the key list

The Keys page lists active keys only. Each row can show:
  • The key name
  • An Active status
  • A shortened prefix followed by an ellipsis
  • The creation time
  • The last-used time when one has been recorded
The shortened prefix helps you identify a key without revealing its secret. A last-used timestamp is informational and may be updated on a best-effort basis.

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Active-key quota

Only active keys count toward the limit. The current UI limits are: When the active count reaches the limit, Generate New Key is disabled. Revoking an active key removes it from the count and makes that slot available again. See Pricing for the current plan catalog.

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Revoke a key

Revoke a key when it is no longer needed, when a client is retired, or whenever the secret may have been exposed.
  1. Find the active key at adcue.app/app/keys.
  2. Choose Revoke.
  3. Choose Confirm revoke.
After revocation:
  • The key is removed from the active-only list
  • The active-key count decreases
  • The revoked key cannot be restored
  • AdCue’s key verifier rejects it rather than treating it as another authentication method
Create a new key if you need to rotate credentials. Do not keep using the compromised secret after revocation.

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Authentication boundary

Creating a key successfully proves that the AdCue app stored its hash and can manage its lifecycle. It does not by itself prove that a particular production MCP client or gateway accepts that key. The AdCue key verifier fails closed for missing, malformed, unknown, and revoked keys. A gateway must be explicitly integrated with that verifier before sk_live_ Bearer authentication can work through that gateway. Production MCP acceptance has not been verified in this guide with both a successful key request and an unauthenticated rejection. Until AdCue publishes a verified client-specific key path:
  • Follow the OAuth or sign-in flow shown for your AI client
  • Do not infer MCP support from the Bearer example visible in the Keys UI
  • Do not replace the official ChatGPT OAuth flow with an API key
  • Treat an authentication rejection as final rather than repeatedly exposing the secret

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Troubleshooting

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Generate New Key is disabled

Check the active count and limit at the top of the Keys page. Accounts without an active plan have a zero-key limit. If you are at a paid-plan limit, revoke an unused key before creating another.

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The full key is no longer visible

The secret cannot be retrieved again. Revoke the key by its name and prefix, then create and securely store a replacement.

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A revoked key is still listed in a client

Removing a key from AdCue does not erase a copy stored in an external client. Remove the revoked secret from that client as well. The AdCue verifier still rejects the revoked key.

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A client rejects an active key

Do not assume the secret is malformed simply because it appears active in the Keys UI. The production client path might not support sk_live_ authentication. Use the authentication instructions for that specific client or contact support@adcue.app without sending the key.

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