Authentication

All Kubiya Platform API requests require authentication using API keys. This ensures secure access to your agents, workflows, and data.

API Key Format

Kubiya Platform uses the UserKey authentication scheme:

Authorization: UserKey YOUR_API_KEY

Never share your API keys publicly or commit them to version control. Always use environment variables or secure secret management.

Generating API Keys

Via Kubiya Web App

Navigate to app.kubiya.ai
Go to Settings → API Keys
Click Generate New Key
Give your key a descriptive name
Copy the key immediately (it won’t be shown again)

Via Kubiya CLI

# Install Kubiya CLI
npm install -g @kubiya/cli

# Login to your account
kubiya auth login

# Generate an API key
kubiya keys create --name "my-integration-key"

Programmatic Generation

You can also generate API keys programmatically using an existing key:

curl -X POST https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/keys \
  -H "Authorization: UserKey $EXISTING_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "New Integration Key",
    "description": "For production deployment automation",
    "scopes": ["agents:read", "tasks:execute", "workflows:manage"]
  }'

API Key Scopes

API keys can be created with specific scopes to limit access:

Scope	Description
`agents:read`	Read agent configurations and status
`agents:write`	Create, update, and delete agents
`tasks:read`	View task history and status
`tasks:execute`	Execute tasks and workflows
`workflows:read`	View workflow definitions
`workflows:manage`	Create, update, and manage workflows
`knowledge:read`	Access knowledge base entries
`knowledge:write`	Add and update knowledge entries
`runners:read`	View runner status and configurations
`runners:manage`	Deploy and manage runners
`integrations:read`	View integration configurations
`integrations:write`	Configure integrations and connections
`webhooks:manage`	Create and manage webhooks
`admin`	Full administrative access

Making Authenticated Requests

cURL Examples

# List agents
curl -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/agents

# Execute a task
curl -X POST https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/tasks \
  -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Deploy to staging",
    "agent_id": "agent_123",
    "parameters": {"environment": "staging"}
  }'

SDK Examples

TypeScript

import { KubiyaClient } from '@kubiya/sdk';

const kubiya = new KubiyaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.KUBIYA_API_KEY,
  baseUrl: 'https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1'
});

// All requests are automatically authenticated
const agents = await kubiya.agents.list();

Python

from kubiya_sdk import KubiyaClient

client = KubiyaClient(
    api_key=os.getenv('KUBIYA_API_KEY'),
    base_url='https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1'
)

# Authenticated request
agents = client.agents.list()

JavaScript (Fetch)

const apiKey = process.env.KUBIYA_API_KEY;

const response = await fetch('https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/agents', {
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `UserKey ${apiKey}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

const agents = await response.json();

Environment Setup

Development

# .env file
KUBIYA_API_KEY=uk_dev_1234567890abcdef
KUBIYA_BASE_URL=https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1

Production

For production environments, use secure secret management:

Docker

docker run -e KUBIYA_API_KEY=$KUBIYA_API_KEY myapp:latest

Kubernetes

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: kubiya-api-key
type: Opaque
stringData:
  api-key: uk_prod_1234567890abcdef
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: myapp:latest
        env:
        - name: KUBIYA_API_KEY
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: kubiya-api-key
              key: api-key

GitHub Actions

name: Deploy with Kubiya
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Deploy via Kubiya
      env:
        KUBIYA_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.KUBIYA_API_KEY }}
      run: |
        curl -X POST https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/tasks \
          -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
          -d '{"name": "Deploy", "agent_id": "deploy-agent"}'

Authentication Errors

Common Error Responses

Missing API Key

{
  "error": "Authentication Required",
  "details": "API key is required for this endpoint",
  "errorCode": "AUTH_REQUIRED",
  "status": 401
}

Invalid API Key

{
  "error": "Invalid API Key",
  "details": "The provided API key is not valid or has been revoked",
  "errorCode": "INVALID_API_KEY",
  "status": 401
}

Insufficient Permissions

{
  "error": "Insufficient Permissions",
  "details": "API key does not have required scope: agents:write",
  "errorCode": "INSUFFICIENT_SCOPE",
  "status": 403
}

Rate Limited

{
  "error": "Rate Limit Exceeded",
  "details": "Too many requests. Please retry after 60 seconds",
  "errorCode": "RATE_LIMITED",
  "status": 429,
  "retryAfter": 60
}

Best Practices

Security

Environment Variables

Always store API keys in environment variables, never in code

Minimal Scopes

Use the minimal required scopes for each API key

Key Rotation

Rotate API keys regularly (every 90 days recommended)

Monitoring

Monitor API key usage for suspicious activity

Error Handling

class KubiyaAPIClient {
  async makeRequest(endpoint: string, options: RequestInit = {}) {
    const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}${endpoint}`, {
      ...options,
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `UserKey ${this.apiKey}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        ...options.headers
      }
    });

    if (!response.ok) {
      const error = await response.json();
      
      switch (response.status) {
        case 401:
          throw new AuthenticationError(error.details);
        case 403:
          throw new PermissionError(error.details);
        case 429:
          throw new RateLimitError(error.details, error.retryAfter);
        default:
          throw new APIError(error.details, response.status);
      }
    }

    return response.json();
  }
}

Retry Logic

import time
import random
from typing import Optional

class KubiyaClient:
    def __init__(self, api_key: str, max_retries: int = 3):
        self.api_key = api_key
        self.max_retries = max_retries
    
    def request_with_retry(self, method: str, endpoint: str, **kwargs):
        for attempt in range(self.max_retries + 1):
            try:
                response = self.session.request(
                    method, 
                    f"{self.base_url}{endpoint}",
                    headers={'Authorization': f'UserKey {self.api_key}'},
                    **kwargs
                )
                
                if response.status_code == 429:
                    # Rate limited - exponential backoff
                    wait_time = (2 ** attempt) + random.uniform(0, 1)
                    time.sleep(wait_time)
                    continue
                    
                response.raise_for_status()
                return response.json()
                
            except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
                if attempt == self.max_retries:
                    raise
                time.sleep(2 ** attempt)

API Key Management

Listing Keys

curl -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/keys

Response:

{
  "keys": [
    {
      "id": "key_123",
      "name": "Production API Key",
      "scopes": ["agents:read", "tasks:execute"],
      "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
      "last_used": "2024-01-20T14:22:00Z",
      "expires_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": "key_456", 
      "name": "Development Key",
      "scopes": ["admin"],
      "created_at": "2024-01-10T09:15:00Z",
      "last_used": "2024-01-20T16:45:00Z",
      "expires_at": "2024-04-10T09:15:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Revoking Keys

curl -X DELETE https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/keys/key_123 \
  -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY"

Key Expiration

Set expiration dates for enhanced security:

curl -X POST https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/keys \
  -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Temporary Integration Key",
    "scopes": ["tasks:execute"],
    "expires_at": "2024-06-01T00:00:00Z"
  }'

Rate Limiting

The Kubiya Platform implements rate limiting to ensure fair usage:

100 requests per minute per API key
5,000 requests per day per API key
Burst allowance: Up to 20 requests in 10 seconds

Rate limit headers are included in responses:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1642694400
X-RateLimit-Burst-Limit: 20
X-RateLimit-Burst-Remaining: 18

When rate limited, implement exponential backoff:

async function makeRequestWithBackoff(request: () => Promise<Response>, maxRetries = 3) {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt <= maxRetries; attempt++) {
    const response = await request();
    
    if (response.status !== 429) {
      return response;
    }
    
    if (attempt === maxRetries) {
      throw new Error('Rate limit exceeded after max retries');
    }
    
    const retryAfter = parseInt(response.headers.get('Retry-After') || '60');
    const backoffTime = Math.min(retryAfter * 1000, 2 ** attempt * 1000);
    
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, backoffTime));
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Debug Authentication Issues

# Test API key validity
curl -I -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/validate

# Check API key scopes
curl -H "Authorization: UserKey $KUBIYA_API_KEY" \
  https://api.kubiya.ai/api/v1/auth/me

Common Issues

Invalid API Key Format

Ensure you’re using the correct format:

# Correct
Authorization: UserKey uk_1234567890abcdef

# Incorrect
Authorization: Bearer uk_1234567890abcdef
Authorization: ApiKey uk_1234567890abcdef

API Key Not Working

Rate Limiting

Next Steps

Agents API

Manage AI agents with authenticated requests

Tasks API

Execute workflows and monitor progress

SDK Documentation

Use official SDKs with built-in authentication

Security Guide

Learn advanced security practices

Kubiya Platform APIs

MCP Server APIs

​Authentication

​API Key Format

​Generating API Keys

​Via Kubiya Web App

​Via Kubiya CLI

​Programmatic Generation

​API Key Scopes

​Making Authenticated Requests

​cURL Examples

​SDK Examples

​TypeScript

​Python

​JavaScript (Fetch)

​Environment Setup

​Development

​Production

​Docker

​Kubernetes

​GitHub Actions

​Authentication Errors

​Common Error Responses

​Missing API Key

​Invalid API Key

​Insufficient Permissions

​Rate Limited

​Best Practices

​Security

Environment Variables

Minimal Scopes

Key Rotation

Monitoring

​Error Handling

​Retry Logic

​API Key Management

​Listing Keys

​Revoking Keys

​Key Expiration

​Rate Limiting

​Troubleshooting

​Debug Authentication Issues

​Common Issues

​Next Steps

Agents API

Tasks API

SDK Documentation

Security Guide

Authentication

API Key Format

Generating API Keys

Via Kubiya Web App

Via Kubiya CLI

Programmatic Generation

API Key Scopes

Making Authenticated Requests

cURL Examples

SDK Examples

TypeScript

Python

JavaScript (Fetch)

Environment Setup

Development

Production

Docker

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

Authentication Errors

Common Error Responses

Missing API Key

Invalid API Key

Insufficient Permissions

Rate Limited

Best Practices

Security

Error Handling

Retry Logic

API Key Management

Listing Keys

Revoking Keys

Key Expiration

Rate Limiting

Troubleshooting

Debug Authentication Issues

Common Issues

Next Steps