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The SDK authenticates with a VectorShift API key. Generate one at Account → API Keys.

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Set the API key

The SDK reads VECTORSHIFT_API_KEY at import time. Set it once in your shell or secrets manager:

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Per-organization keys

If you belong to multiple organizations, generate the key from inside the org you want the SDK to act on. The key carries the org context — there’s no separate org_id parameter.

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Rotating keys

1

Generate

Create a new key in the platform.
2

Update

Roll out the new key to your environment / secret store.
3

Revoke

Delete the old key in the platform once nothing depends on it.
Old keys keep working until you delete them, so there’s no hard cutover.

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Errors

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AuthenticationError
exception
Raised when the key is missing or invalid.
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PermissionDeniedError
exception
Raised when the key is valid but lacks scope for the requested operation.
See Errors for the full exception hierarchy.

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Common causes of a 401

  • Wrong prefix. Keys start with sk_. Copy the whole key from Account → API Keys.
  • Key set too late. The env var is read at import — export it before import vectorshift, or set vectorshift.api_key before your first API call (see the Programmatic tab).
  • Wrong org. A key only acts on the org it was generated in — see Per-organization keys.

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What’s next

Quickstart

Ship your first pipeline in 60 seconds.

Pipeline overview

Your first pipeline in five lines.

Errors

Full exception hierarchy.