---

name: venice-api-keys description: Manage Venice API keys. Covers GET/POST/PATCH/DELETE /api_keys, GET /api_keys/{id}, GET /api_keys/rate_limits, GET /api_keys/rate_limits/log, the two-step /api_keys/generate_web3_key wallet flow, INFERENCE vs ADMIN key types, and per-key consumption limits (USD / DIEM).

Venice API Keys

Admin endpoints for managing Bearer API keys. You need an ADMIN key (or parent session) to call these. For wallet-only auth, use venice-auth / venice-x402 instead.

Endpoint	Purpose
GET /api_keys	List your keys (masked).
POST /api_keys	Create a new key. Response contains the only copy of the secret.
PATCH /api_keys	Update description, expiresAt, consumptionLimit.
DELETE /api_keys?id=...	Revoke a key.
GET /api_keys/{id}	Full details for one key (usage, limits, expiration).
GET /api_keys/rate_limits	Balances + per-model rate-limit tiers for the current key.
GET /api_keys/rate_limits/log	Last 50 rate-limit breaches.
GET /api_keys/generate_web3_key	Get a SIWE-style token to sign with a wallet.
POST /api_keys/generate_web3_key	Authenticate a wallet (holds sVVV) and mint a classic API key.

Limits: key creation is capped at 20 requests/minute and 500 active keys per user.

Key types

Type	Can call
INFERENCE	Inference endpoints plus any route that only requires authentication — e.g. /chat/*, /image/*, /audio/*, /video/*, /embeddings, /augment/*, /crypto/rpc, /characters, /api_keys/rate_limits*, /support-bot. Rejected from admin routes listed below with 401.
ADMIN	Everything an INFERENCE key can do, plus admin-only routes: POST/PATCH/DELETE /api_keys, GET /api_keys (list), GET /api_keys/{id}, GET /billing/balance, GET /billing/usage.

A leaf app should almost always use INFERENCE keys — per-app, per-user, with consumption caps.

GET /api_keys

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ADMIN_KEY"

Returns:

{
  "object": "list",
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "uuid",
      "apiKeyType": "INFERENCE",
      "description": "backend prod",
      "createdAt": "2025-10-01T12:00:00Z",
      "expiresAt": null,
      "lastUsedAt": "2026-04-20T10:05:00Z",
      "last6Chars": "2V2jNW",
      "consumptionLimits": { "usd": 50, "diem": 10 },
      "usage": { "trailingSevenDays": { "usd": "4.20", "diem": "0.00" } }
    }
  ]
}

The full secret is never returned on list — only last6Chars.

POST /api_keys — create

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ADMIN_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "apiKeyType": "INFERENCE",
    "description": "backend prod",
    "expiresAt": "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z",
    "consumptionLimit": { "usd": 50, "diem": 10 }
  }'

Response includes the one-time apiKey secret:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "uuid",
    "apiKey": "VENICE_INFERENCE_KEY_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "apiKeyType": "INFERENCE",
    "description": "backend prod",
    "expiresAt": "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z",
    "consumptionLimit": { "usd": 50, "diem": 10 }
  }
}

Save it immediately — Venice won't show the secret again. If you lose it, delete and re-create.

Required

• apiKeyType
• description

Optional

• expiresAt — empty string or ISO 8601 date/datetime. Omit for non-expiring.
• consumptionLimit.usd / .diem — per-epoch caps. Null means no cap on that currency.
• consumptionLimit.vcu — deprecated (legacy Diem). Use diem instead.

PATCH /api_keys — update

curl -X PATCH https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ADMIN_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "id": "uuid", "description": "renamed", "consumptionLimit": { "usd": 100 } }'

Only description, expiresAt, and consumptionLimit are mutable. Pass "expiresAt": "" or null to remove an expiration.

DELETE /api_keys?id=<uuid> — revoke

curl -X DELETE "https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys?id=uuid" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ADMIN_KEY"

Returns {"success": true}. Revocation is immediate.

GET /api_keys/{id} — details

Returns one key's full metadata plus trailing-7-day usage. Useful for an admin dashboard row view.

GET /api_keys/rate_limits

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys/rate_limits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VENICE_API_KEY"

Returns for the calling key:

{
  "data": {
    "accessPermitted": true,
    "apiTier": { "id": "paid", "isCharged": true },
    "balances": { "USD": 50.23, "DIEM": 100.023 },
    "keyExpiration": "2025-06-01T00:00:00Z",
    "nextEpochBegins": "2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z",
    "rateLimits": [
      {
        "apiModelId": "zai-org-glm-5-1",
        "rateLimits": [
          { "type": "RPM", "amount": 100 },
          { "type": "TPM", "amount": 200000 },
          { "type": "RPD", "amount": 10000 }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Use it to:

• Display current balances in-app.
• Warm-gate calls when the relevant model's RPM cap is near.
• Know when the next epoch resets (DIEM, bundled credits).

GET /api_keys/rate_limits/log

Returns the last 50 rate-limit breaches. Response is wrapped as { object: "list", data: [...] }:

{
  "object": "list",
  "data": [
    { "apiKeyId": "...", "modelId": "zai-org-glm-5-1", "rateLimitType": "RPM",
      "rateLimitTier": "paid", "timestamp": "2026-04-20T12:34:56Z" }
  ]
}

Feed these into your monitoring when tuning concurrency.

Web3 API keys — two-step wallet flow

Lets a wallet that holds sVVV mint a classic Bearer API key. No Venice account required.

1. GET /api_keys/generate_web3_key

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys/generate_web3_key

Returns { success: true, data: { token: "<jwt-ish token>" } }.

2. Sign the token with your wallet, then POST /api_keys/generate_web3_key

import { Wallet } from 'ethers'

const { data: { token } } = await fetch(`${base}/api_keys/generate_web3_key`).then(r => r.json())
const wallet = new Wallet(process.env.WALLET_KEY!)
const signature = await wallet.signMessage(token)

const res = await fetch(`${base}/api_keys/generate_web3_key`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    apiKeyType: 'INFERENCE',
    description: 'Web3 API Key',
    address: wallet.address,
    signature,
    token,
    consumptionLimit: { usd: 50 },
  }),
})

const { data } = await res.json()
console.log(data.apiKey) // save this once

The returned apiKey behaves exactly like a normal Bearer key.

Recipes

Per-customer keys with $5 USD limit

await fetch(`${base}/api_keys`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${ADMIN_KEY}`, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    apiKeyType: 'INFERENCE',
    description: `cust:${customerId}`,
    consumptionLimit: { usd: 5 },
  }),
})

Rotate monthly; revoke on churn.

Health-check for a key

const { data } = await fetch(`${base}/api_keys/rate_limits`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${key}` },
}).then(r => r.json())

if (!data.accessPermitted) alert('Key blocked — top up or change tier')

Errors

Code	Meaning
400	Bad body (e.g. missing apiKeyType, malformed expiresAt), or attempting to create when you already have 500 active keys.
401	Missing / bad / non-admin key for admin-only routes.
429	Exceeded 20 creates/min.
500	Transient; retry.

Gotchas

• The secret is returned exactly once, in the POST response. Losing it = delete + recreate.
• consumptionLimit is per epoch (day / reset cycle), not per call.
• INFERENCE keys can't call admin-only routes (POST/PATCH/DELETE /api_keys, GET /api_keys, GET /api_keys/{id}, GET /billing/balance, GET /billing/usage). They can call GET /api_keys/rate_limits and /api_keys/rate_limits/log for themselves. Use a separate ADMIN key for management.
• vcu is legacy — use diem.
• expiresAt of empty string "" means "no expiration" in CREATE; on UPDATE it removes an existing one.
• Rate-limit log is capped at 50 entries — pull it frequently if debugging bursts.
• The Web3 key flow requires wallet holdings of sVVV; otherwise the signing step is rejected.