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

# Mint an API key

> Mint an API key for the calling principal.

Mint an API key for the calling principal. The plaintext is shown once.

Only the SHA-256 hash is stored, so the returned `apiKey` is unrecoverable
afterwards; `id` is that hash, the same opaque id `GET /v1/keys` lists
and `DELETE /v1/keys/{id}` takes.

The new key carries the caller's own scopes unless the optional `scopes`
field narrows them to a subset (a scope the caller does not hold is 403, so
minting can never escalate). Signed-in dashboard sessions may mint; an API
key must carry `admin`.

Sending an `Idempotency-Key` makes the mint replay-safe: a retry returns
the original response rather than a second credential, with `apiKey`
replaced by a marker (the plaintext is never persisted, not even for replay).

## Authorization

This route accepts any authenticated Exo API key and checks no additional scope.

A missing or invalid credential returns 401 [`authentication_error`](/errors/authentication_error). A valid credential without the scope returns 403 [`permission_denied`](/errors/permission_denied), and the problem body names the exact scope required.

## Headers

These are request conventions the contract does not declare as parameters, so they do not appear in the schema tables below.

| Header            | Applies        | What it does                                                                                                                                         |
| ----------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `X-Exo-API-Key`   | Required       | Your Exo API key, `exo_<env>_<token>`. `Authorization: Bearer exo_...` is accepted as an alternate.                                                  |
| `X-Exo-Subject`   | Not applicable | This route is not subject-scoped.                                                                                                                    |
| `Idempotency-Key` | Honoured       | Makes a retry safe. The same key with the same body replays the original response instead of acting twice. See [Idempotency](/platform/idempotency). |
| `X-Request-Id`    | Response       | Returned on every response, including `204`s. Quote it in a support request.                                                                         |

## Success responses

| Status | Meaning                          |
| ------ | -------------------------------- |
| `201`  | Key minted; apiKey is shown once |

## Errors

| Status | Code                                                   | When                                                           |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `400`  | [`invalid_request`](/errors/invalid_request)           | Malformed request, for example an invalid cursor.              |
| `401`  | [`authentication_error`](/errors/authentication_error) | Missing or invalid credentials.                                |
| `403`  | [`permission_denied`](/errors/permission_denied)       | Missing scope, or an unprovisioned subject selector.           |
| `404`  | [`not_found`](/errors/not_found)                       | The resource does not exist, or is not visible to this caller. |
| `409`  | [`conflict`](/errors/conflict)                         | A conflict with the current state of the resource.             |
| `422`  | [`validation_error`](/errors/validation_error)         | The request was understood but failed field validation.        |
| `429`  | [`rate_limit_exceeded`](/errors/rate_limit_exceeded)   | Rate limit exceeded. Retry after the Retry-After interval.     |
| `503`  | [`service_degraded`](/errors/service_degraded)         | A dependency is temporarily unavailable. Safe to retry.        |

Beyond the shared statuses, this route can answer with [`idempotency_in_flight`](/errors/idempotency_in_flight), [`idempotency_key_reuse`](/errors/idempotency_key_reuse). Every problem body names its own `code`, and the `type` URI always resolves to the matching page.

Every error is an RFC 9457 `application/problem+json` body carrying a stable `code`, a `requestId`, and a `suggestedAction` where Exo has one. See [Errors](/platform/errors).

## Notes

* **The plaintext is shown once.** Only its SHA-256 hash is stored, and that hash is the `id` you list and revoke by.
* **Minting can never escalate.** A new key carries the caller's own scopes unless `scopes` narrows them to a subset. Asking for a scope you do not hold is 403.


## OpenAPI

````yaml openapi.json POST /v1/keys
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  contact:
    name: Exo
    url: https://get-exo.com/
  description: >-
    The Exo public developer API: ingest content, retrieve identity-conditioned
    context, and read the knowledge graph. Authenticate every request with an
    Exo API key, either as the X-Exo-API-Key header or as Authorization: Bearer
    exo_... . Errors follow RFC 9457 problem+json with a stable snake_case code
    on every body.
  title: Exo API
  version: 1.0.0
servers:
  - url: https://api.get-exo.com
security:
  - ApiKeyHeader: []
  - BearerAuth: []
tags:
  - name: retrieve
    x-group: Retrieval
  - name: search
    x-group: Search
  - name: ingest
    x-group: Ingestion
  - name: jobs
    x-group: Jobs
  - name: subjects
    x-group: Subjects
  - name: recall
    x-group: Recall
  - name: graph
    x-group: Graph
  - name: insights
    x-group: Contradictions and proposals
  - name: condition
    x-group: Condition
  - name: brain
    x-group: Brain
  - name: sessions
    x-group: Coding sessions
  - name: connectors
    x-group: Connectors
  - name: events
    x-group: Events and webhooks
  - name: meta
    x-group: Identity
  - name: keys
    x-group: Keys and sandbox
  - name: usage
    x-group: Usage
  - name: settings
    x-group: Settings
  - name: exports
    x-group: Exports
  - name: team
    x-group: Team
  - name: admin
    x-group: Account and purge
paths:
  /v1/keys:
    post:
      tags:
        - keys
      summary: Mint an API key
      description: >-
        Mint an API key for the calling principal. The plaintext is shown once.


        Only the SHA-256 hash is stored, so the returned ``apiKey`` is
        unrecoverable

        afterwards; ``id`` is that hash, the same opaque id ``GET /v1/keys``
        lists

        and ``DELETE /v1/keys/{id}`` takes.


        The new key carries the caller's own scopes unless the optional
        ``scopes``

        field narrows them to a subset (a scope the caller does not hold is 403,
        so

        minting can never escalate). Signed-in dashboard sessions may mint; an
        API

        key must carry ``admin``.


        Sending an ``Idempotency-Key`` makes the mint replay-safe: a retry
        returns

        the original response rather than a second credential, with ``apiKey``

        replaced by a marker (the plaintext is never persisted, not even for
        replay).
      operationId: createKey
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/MintRequest'
        required: true
      responses:
        '201':
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/MintResponse'
          description: Key minted; apiKey is shown once
        '400':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: Malformed request, for example an invalid cursor.
        '401':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: Missing or invalid credentials.
        '403':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: Key management requires admin scope
        '404':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: The requested resource does not exist.
        '409':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: Conflict, for example a duplicate in-flight idempotent request.
        '422':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: Malformed request
        '429':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: >-
            Rate limit exceeded; retry after the interval in the Retry-After
            header.
        '503':
          content:
            application/problem+json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Problem'
          description: A dependency is temporarily unavailable; safe to retry with backoff.
components:
  schemas:
    MintRequest:
      properties:
        label:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
          title: Label
        scopes:
          anyOf:
            - items:
                type: string
              minItems: 1
              type: array
            - type: 'null'
          description: >-
            Scopes for the new key. Must be within the caller's own scopes; omit
            to inherit them. Vocabulary: the umbrella scopes 'read', 'write',
            'admin' and the fine-grained scopes 'graph:write', 'memory:forget',
            'subjects:provision', 'usage:read'. A 'write' key grants
            'graph:write' and 'memory:forget'; an 'admin' key grants
            'subjects:provision' and 'usage:read'. 'graph:write' does NOT grant
            'memory:forget', so a key can be minted able to edit the knowledge
            graph but not to erase it.
          title: Scopes
      title: MintRequest
      type: object
    MintResponse:
      properties:
        apiKey:
          title: Apikey
          type: string
        id:
          title: Id
          type: string
        label:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
          title: Label
      required:
        - apiKey
        - id
      title: MintResponse
      type: object
    Problem:
      description: |-
        RFC 9457 problem+json envelope (spec D9), documented in OpenAPI.

        Invariant: ``code`` equals the tail of the ``type`` URI
        (``https://docs.get-exo.com/errors/<code>``).
      properties:
        code:
          title: Code
          type: string
        detail:
          title: Detail
          type: string
        documentationUrl:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
          title: Documentationurl
        errors:
          anyOf:
            - items:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/FieldViolation'
              type: array
            - type: 'null'
          title: Errors
        requestId:
          default: ''
          title: Requestid
          type: string
        status:
          title: Status
          type: integer
        suggestedAction:
          anyOf:
            - type: string
            - type: 'null'
          title: Suggestedaction
        title:
          title: Title
          type: string
        type:
          title: Type
          type: string
      required:
        - type
        - title
        - status
        - detail
        - code
      title: Problem
      type: object
    FieldViolation:
      description: A single field-level violation inside a Problem ``errors[]`` list.
      properties:
        code:
          title: Code
          type: string
        field:
          title: Field
          type: string
        message:
          title: Message
          type: string
        pointer:
          title: Pointer
          type: string
      required:
        - pointer
        - field
        - code
        - message
      title: FieldViolation
      type: object
  securitySchemes:
    ApiKeyHeader:
      description: An Exo API key (exo_...) sent as the X-Exo-API-Key header.
      in: header
      name: X-Exo-API-Key
      type: apiKey
    BearerAuth:
      description: The same Exo API key (exo_...) sent as an Authorization bearer token.
      scheme: bearer
      type: http

````