Academy
What is an API key?
Glossary · AI agent and machine identity security
Short answer
An API key is a secret string that grants access to an API to whoever holds it.
Why it matters
Keys are long-lived and easy to copy. They end up in code, chat messages and configuration files.
What it looks like
A key created for a prototype that is still used in production a year later.
In nerl0
nerl0 reads configuration and permission data. It never reads the contents of data stores. See Connectors.