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API Keys

API keys provide a long-lived, non-interactive way to authenticate with the Ever Works API. They are ideal for CI/CD pipelines, CLI tools, MCP server connections, and any integration that cannot go through the browser-based JWT login flow.

When to use this

Use API keys whenever you need programmatic access to the API without user interaction — for example, connecting the MCP server, automating work updates from a CI pipeline, or building custom integrations.

Signing a terminal in as yourself

On installations where Ever ID is turned on, the CLI can sign you in without a key or a password: ever-works auth login --ever-id shows a short code to approve in your browser (see Ever ID). Use an API key for unattended automation.

Prerequisites​

  • A registered Ever Works account
  • Access to the Settings page in the Web Dashboard

How It Works​

  1. Create a key — generate a new API key from the dashboard or via the API. The full key is shown only once.
  2. Store securely — save the key in a secrets manager, environment variable, or .env file. It cannot be retrieved later.
  3. Authenticate — pass the key in the x-api-key header or the Authorization: Bearer header on every API request.
  4. Validation — the API hashes the key with SHA-256 and looks up the hash in the database. Expired or revoked keys are rejected.

Key Format​

PartExampleDescription
Prefixew_live_Fixed prefix identifying Ever Works API keys
Secreta1b2c3d4...64 random hex characters (256 bits)
Full keyew_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6...76 characters total — shown only at creation

After creation, only the first 12 characters (the display prefix) are stored in plain text. The full key is hashed and cannot be recovered.

Authentication​

API keys are accepted in two ways:

# Option 1: x-api-key header
curl http://localhost:3100/api/works \
  -H "x-api-key: ew_live_your_key_here"

# Option 2: Authorization header
curl http://localhost:3100/api/works \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ew_live_your_key_here"

The API guard tries API key authentication first. If the value doesn't start with ew_live_, it falls back to JWT token validation.

Limits​

  • Maximum 10 API keys per user
  • Optional expiration date (must be in the future when creating)
  • lastUsedAt is updated automatically on each successful authentication

API​

All endpoints require JWT authentication (API keys cannot be used to manage other API keys).

Create API Key​

MethodEndpointDescription
POST/api/auth/api-keysGenerate a new API key
curl -X POST http://localhost:3100/api/auth/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <jwt-token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "CI Pipeline",
    "expiresAt": "2027-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }'

Request body:

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
namestringYesDescriptive label (max 100 characters)
expiresAtstringNoISO 8601 expiration date (must be in the future)

Response:

{
	"id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
	"name": "CI Pipeline",
	"key": "ew_live_a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2",
	"prefix": "ew_live_a1b2",
	"expiresAt": "2027-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
	"createdAt": "2026-03-06T12:00:00.000Z"
}
warning

The key field is only returned in this response. Copy it immediately and store it securely.

List API Keys​

MethodEndpointDescription
GET/api/auth/api-keysList all API keys for the current user
curl http://localhost:3100/api/auth/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <jwt-token>"

Response:

[
	{
		"id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
		"name": "CI Pipeline",
		"prefix": "ew_live_a1b2",
		"expiresAt": "2027-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
		"lastUsedAt": "2026-03-06T14:30:00.000Z",
		"createdAt": "2026-03-06T12:00:00.000Z"
	}
]

The full key is never returned in list responses — only the display prefix.

Revoke API Key​

MethodEndpointDescription
DELETE/api/auth/api-keys/:idRevoke and permanently delete an API key
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3100/api/auth/api-keys/<key-id> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <jwt-token>"

Revoked keys are immediately invalid. Any requests using a revoked key will return 401 Unauthorized.