> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://respan.ai/docs/apis/api-keys/create-temporary-api-key/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://respan.ai/_mcp/server.

# Create a temporary API key

POST https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/
Content-Type: application/json

Reference: https://respan.ai/docs/apis/api-keys/create-temporary-api-key

## Authentication

- `Authorization` header (bearer token, required) — Use your Respan API key for Respan API authentication. Enter only the Respan API key value; clients send Authorization: Bearer \<RESPAN\_API\_KEY>. For /api/responses, provider credentials such as Perplexity, OpenAI, or Azure OpenAI go in Settings -> Providers or respan\_params.credential\_override in the request body, not in this authentication field.

## Request

### Body (application/json)

This endpoint expects an object.

- `name` (string, optional) — Key name.
- `expiry_date` (datetime, optional) — Expiry date (ISO 8601).
- `max_usage` (integer, optional, default: -1) — Max usage count. -1 = unlimited.
- `rate_limit` (integer, optional) — Calls per minute. Overridden by plan limit.
- `spending_limit` (double, optional) — Spending limit in USD for gateway usage.
- `is_test` (boolean, optional, default: false) — Test key (`true`) or production key (`false`).
- `limit_policies` (list of APIKeyLimitPolicySpec, optional) — Caps to create and scope to this key. The response includes each created policy with its `id`, `meter_definition_id`, and `current_state`. Once a block rule's cap is reached, gateway requests with the key get `429`.

## Response

### 201

Created API key.

- `id` (string, optional) — API key ID.
- `name` (string, optional) — Key name.
- `prefix` (string, optional) — Key prefix.
- `is_test` (boolean, optional) — Test or production key.
- `expiry_date` (datetime, optional) — Expiry date.
- `max_usage` (integer, optional) — Max usage count. -1 = unlimited.
- `rate_limit` (double, optional, nullable) — Requests per minute. null uses the organization default.
- `spending_limit` (double, optional, nullable) — Spending limit in USD. `null` when not set.
- `api_key` (string, optional) — The API key value. Only returned on creation - store it securely.
- `key_usage` (integer, optional) — Number of times this key has been used.
- `created` (datetime, optional) — When the API key was created.
- `unique_organization_id` (string, optional, nullable) — Owning organization UUID.

## Errors

### 400 Bad Request Error

Validation failed, for example an invalid limit policy.

- `map from string to any`

### 403 Forbidden Error

The API key is missing, invalid or expired.

- `detail` (string, required)

## Types

### APIKeyLimitPolicySpec

A cost, token, or request cap created with the API key and scoped to it. Once the cap is reached, gateway requests with the key get `429`.

- `max_value` (double, required) — The cap, in the unit named by `metric`. The counter blocks when it reaches this value: `max_value` of 3 on `request_count` allows two requests and refuses the third.
- `period` (string, required) — A named bucket (`minute`, `hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`) or a positive integer of seconds as a string. A lifetime (`null`) period is rejected here; use `POST /api/limit-policies/` for that.
- `metric` (enum, optional, default: cost) — What the cap counts. `cost` is US dollars, `token_count` is total tokens, `request_count` is calls.
  - Allowed values: `cost`, `request_count`, `token_count`
- `warning_threshold` (double, optional, nullable) — Optional soft threshold; must be strictly below `max_value`. Fires an alert without blocking.
- `name` (string, optional, default: ) — Display label. When blank, the dashboard falls back to the key's own name.
- `notification_method_id` (string, optional, nullable) — OrganizationNotificationMethod id to ping when a rule trips. Must belong to the same project.

## Examples

**Request**

```json
{}
```

**Response**

```json
{
  "id": "string",
  "name": "string",
  "prefix": "string",
  "is_test": true,
  "expiry_date": "2024-01-15T09:30:00Z",
  "max_usage": 1,
  "rate_limit": 1.1,
  "spending_limit": 1.1,
  "api_key": "vcjRcdm8.5hSZiXrA698O6KAiWX5CJj8Zrbp0H6gV",
  "key_usage": 0,
  "created": "2024-01-15T09:30:00Z",
  "unique_organization_id": "string"
}
```

**SDK Code**

```python
import requests

url = "https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/"

payload = {}
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer <respanApiKey>",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)

print(response.json())
```

```javascript
const url = 'https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/';
const options = {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {Authorization: 'Bearer <respanApiKey>', 'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
  body: '{}'
};

try {
  const response = await fetch(url, options);
  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error(error);
}
```

```go
package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"strings"
	"net/http"
	"io"
)

func main() {

	url := "https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/"

	payload := strings.NewReader("{}")

	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", url, payload)

	req.Header.Add("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>")
	req.Header.Add("Content-Type", "application/json")

	res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)

	defer res.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)

	fmt.Println(res)
	fmt.Println(string(body))

}
```

```ruby
require 'uri'
require 'net/http'

url = URI("https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/")

http = Net::HTTP.new(url.host, url.port)
http.use_ssl = true

request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(url)
request["Authorization"] = 'Bearer <respanApiKey>'
request["Content-Type"] = 'application/json'
request.body = "{}"

response = http.request(request)
puts response.read_body
```

```java
import com.mashape.unirest.http.HttpResponse;
import com.mashape.unirest.http.Unirest;

HttpResponse<String> response = Unirest.post("https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/")
  .header("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>")
  .header("Content-Type", "application/json")
  .body("{}")
  .asString();
```

```php
<?php
require_once('vendor/autoload.php');

$client = new \GuzzleHttp\Client();

$response = $client->request('POST', 'https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/', [
  'body' => '{}',
  'headers' => [
    'Authorization' => 'Bearer <respanApiKey>',
    'Content-Type' => 'application/json',
  ],
]);

echo $response->getBody();
```

```csharp
using RestSharp;

var client = new RestClient("https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/");
var request = new RestRequest(Method.POST);
request.AddHeader("Authorization", "Bearer <respanApiKey>");
request.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
request.AddParameter("application/json", "{}", ParameterType.RequestBody);
IRestResponse response = client.Execute(request);
```

```swift
import Foundation

let headers = [
  "Authorization": "Bearer <respanApiKey>",
  "Content-Type": "application/json"
]
let parameters = [] as [String : Any]

let postData = JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: parameters, options: [])

let request = NSMutableURLRequest(url: NSURL(string: "https://api.respan.ai/api/temporary-keys/")! as URL,
                                        cachePolicy: .useProtocolCachePolicy,
                                    timeoutInterval: 10.0)
request.httpMethod = "POST"
request.allHTTPHeaderFields = headers
request.httpBody = postData as Data

let session = URLSession.shared
let dataTask = session.dataTask(with: request as URLRequest, completionHandler: { (data, response, error) -> Void in
  if (error != nil) {
    print(error as Any)
  } else {
    let httpResponse = response as? HTTPURLResponse
    print(httpResponse)
  }
})

dataTask.resume()
```