---
sidebar_position: 9
tags: [api, agents]
---

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

# API Keys

Most renters never need this page. Use it when:

- You want to drive Lium from the **CLI** (`lium ...`).
- You want an **AI agent** (Claude, Cursor, your own) to deploy and manage pods on your behalf via the API or [MCP server](/developers/mcp).
- You're integrating Lium into a CI pipeline, a Slack bot, or your own tool.

If you're just here to rent a GPU and SSH in, the dashboard at [lium.io](https://lium.io) is the friendlier path — see [Quickstart](./quickstart).

## What an API key does

An API key authenticates HTTP requests to `https://lium.io/api/...` as **you**. Anyone with the key can:

- Deploy pods, attach volumes, start backups — and **be billed to your account**.
- Read your pod list, backup history, and account balance.
- Delete things. The API has no separate "read-only" scope yet.

Treat the key like a password. Never paste it into a public repo, an issue tracker, a screenshot, or a non-CVM pod.

## Generate a key

1. Sidebar → **Access** (key icon).
2. Click the **API Keys** tab.
3. **ADD NEW +**, give the key a **Name** (something like `cli-laptop`, `ci-deploy-bot`, `claude-agent`), **ADD**.
4. The full key shows **once** in a copy-to-clipboard chip. Copy it now — Lium only stores a hashed version, so you can't view it again.

![Access page → API Keys tab](./assets/api-keys-list.png)

The list view shows each key's **Name**, masked **Key** prefix, **Active** flag, **Last used**, **Expires at**, and **Date created**.

## Use the key

Pass the key in the `X-API-Key` header on every request:

```bash

curl https://lium.io/api/pods \
  -H "X-API-Key: $LIUM_API_KEY"
```

For the CLI:

```bash
pip install lium.io                   # or: curl https://lium.io/install.sh | sh
lium login --api-key $LIUM_API_KEY    # stored in ~/.lium/credentials
lium pods list
```

For the [SDK](/developers/sdk) and [MCP server](/developers/mcp), set `LIUM_API_KEY` in the environment.

## Quick "API Key" button (top-left)

The **API Key** button at the very top of the sidebar (under your balance) **copies your most recent active key to the clipboard** and shows a toast. Handy for quick re-pastes; not a substitute for managing keys on the Access page.

## Rotate, deactivate, delete

On the **Access → API Keys** row:

- ✏️ **Edit** — rename or set an expiry date.
- 🗑️ **Delete** — revokes the key immediately. Anything using it (CLI session, running agent) will start getting 401s.

There's no separate "deactivate but keep" toggle yet — delete and recreate when you need to rotate.

## What this unlocks for AI agents

The whole Renters surface (pods, templates, volumes, backups, restores, scheduled termination) is exposed via the same REST API and via the [MCP server](/developers/mcp). With one API key, an agent can:

- Watch the marketplace and deploy a cheap pod when an A100 drops below your price ceiling.
- Spin up a fresh pod for each job, run training, take a final backup, terminate.
- Pull a backup down for inspection in your laptop, then fan out restores into many pods.
- Manage templates: keep your team's images, tags, and entrypoints in sync from CI.

Schemas live in the [OpenAPI spec](/developers/openapi). The Renters pages above each have a "For agents and automation" block at the bottom showing the curl/CLI equivalents of every UI flow.

## Key hygiene

- One key per integration. If your laptop's key leaks, you only revoke that one.
- Set an **Expires at** for short-lived agents (CI runners, hackathon scripts).
- Don't bake keys into Docker images or templates. Set them as env vars at runtime, or use the agent itself to deploy with a short-lived key.
- Never put a key in a non-CVM pod's filesystem — see [Pod security](./security).