> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://unkey.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Update key settings > Update key properties in response to plan changes, subscription updates, or account status changes. Use this for user upgrades/downgrades, role modifications, or administrative changes. Supports partial updates - only specify fields you want to change. Set fields to null to clear them. **Important**: Permissions and roles are replaced entirely. Use dedicated add/remove endpoints for incremental changes. **Required Permissions** Your root key must have one of the following permissions: - `api.*.update_key` (to update keys in any API) - `api..update_key` (to update keys in a specific API) **Side Effects** If you specify an `externalId` that doesn't exist, a new identity will be automatically created and linked to the key. Permission updates will auto-create any permissions that don't exist in your workspace. Changes take effect immediately but may take up to 30 seconds to propagate to all edge regions due to cache invalidation. ## OpenAPI ````yaml https://spec.speakeasy.com/unkey/unkey/openapi-json-with-code-samples post /v2/keys.updateKey openapi: 3.1.0 info: description: >- Unkey's API provides programmatic access for all resources within our platform. ### Authentication # This API uses HTTP Bearer authentication with root keys. Most endpoints require specific permissions associated with your root key. When making requests, include your root key in the `Authorization` header: ``` Authorization: Bearer unkey_xxxxxxxxxxx ``` All responses follow a consistent envelope structure that separates operational metadata from actual data. This design provides several benefits: - Debugging: Every response includes a unique requestId for tracing issues - Consistency: Predictable response format across all endpoints - Extensibility: Easy to add new metadata without breaking existing integrations - Error Handling: Unified error format with actionable information ### Success Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_123456" }, "data": { // Actual response data here } } ``` The meta object contains operational information: - `requestId`: Unique identifier for this request (essential for support) The data object contains the actual response data specific to each endpoint. ### Paginated Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_123456" }, "data": [ // Array of results ], "pagination": { "cursor": "next_page_token", "hasMore": true } } ``` The pagination object appears on list endpoints and contains: - `cursor`: Token for requesting the next page - `hasMore`: Whether more results are available ### Error Response Format: ```json { "meta": { "requestId": "req_2c9a0jf23l4k567" }, "error": { "detail": "The resource you are attempting to modify is protected and cannot be changed", "status": 403, "title": "Forbidden", "type": "https://unkey.com/docs/errors/unkey/application/protected_resource" } } ``` Error responses include comprehensive diagnostic information: - `title`: Human-readable error summary - `detail`: Specific description of what went wrong - `status`: HTTP status code - `type`: Link to error documentation - `errors`: Array of validation errors (for 400 responses) This structure ensures you always have the context needed to debug issues and take corrective action. title: Unkey API version: 2.0.0 servers: - url: https://api.unkey.com security: - rootKey: [] tags: - description: Analytics query operations name: analytics - description: API management operations name: apis - description: Deployment operations name: deploy - description: Identity management operations name: identities - description: API key management operations name: keys - description: Health check operations name: liveness - description: Permission and role management operations name: permissions - description: Customer Portal session management name: portal - description: Rate limiting operations name: ratelimit paths: /v2/keys.updateKey: post: tags: - keys summary: Update key settings description: > Update key properties in response to plan changes, subscription updates, or account status changes. Use this for user upgrades/downgrades, role modifications, or administrative changes. Supports partial updates - only specify fields you want to change. Set fields to null to clear them. **Important**: Permissions and roles are replaced entirely. Use dedicated add/remove endpoints for incremental changes. **Required Permissions** Your root key must have one of the following permissions: - `api.*.update_key` (to update keys in any API) - `api..update_key` (to update keys in a specific API) **Side Effects** If you specify an `externalId` that doesn't exist, a new identity will be automatically created and linked to the key. Permission updates will auto-create any permissions that don't exist in your workspace. Changes take effect immediately but may take up to 30 seconds to propagate to all edge regions due to cache invalidation. operationId: keys.updateKey requestBody: content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/V2KeysUpdateKeyRequestBody' required: true responses: '200': content: application/json: examples: success: summary: Successful update value: data: {} meta: requestId: req_01H9TQPP77V5E48E9SH0BG0ZQY schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/V2KeysUpdateKeyResponseBody' description: > Key updated successfully. Changes take effect immediately with up to 30-second edge propagation. '400': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BadRequestErrorResponse' description: Bad request '401': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/UnauthorizedErrorResponse' description: Unauthorized '403': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ForbiddenErrorResponse' description: Forbidden '404': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/NotFoundErrorResponse' description: Not found '429': content: application/problem+json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/TooManyRequestsErrorResponse' description: Too Many Requests '500': content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/InternalServerErrorResponse' description: Internal server error security: - rootKey: [] x-codeSamples: - lang: go label: Go (SDK) source: "package main\n\nimport(\n\t\"context\"\n\t\"os\"\n\tunkey \"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2\"\n\t\"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components\"\n\t\"log\"\n)\n\nfunc main() {\n ctx := context.Background()\n\n s := unkey.New(\n unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv(\"UNKEY_ROOT_KEY\")),\n )\n\n res, err := s.Keys.UpdateKey(ctx, components.V2KeysUpdateKeyRequestBody{\n KeyID: \"key_2cGKbMxRyIzhCxo1Idjz8q\",\n Name: unkey.Pointer(\"Payment Service Production Key\"),\n ExternalID: unkey.Pointer(\"user_912a841d\"),\n Meta: map[string]any{\n \"plan\": \"enterprise\",\n \"limits\": map[string]any{\n \"storage\": \"500GB\",\n \"compute\": \"1000 minutes/month\",\n },\n \"features\": []any{\n \"analytics\",\n \"exports\",\n \"webhooks\",\n },\n \"hasAcceptedTerms\": true,\n \"billing\": map[string]any{\n \"cycle\": \"monthly\",\n \"next_billing\": \"2024-01-15\",\n },\n \"preferences\": map[string]any{\n \"timezone\": \"UTC\",\n \"notifications\": true,\n },\n \"lastBillingDate\": \"2023-10-15\",\n },\n Expires: unkey.Pointer[int64](1704067200000),\n Credits: &components.UpdateKeyCreditsData{\n Remaining: unkey.Pointer[int64](1000),\n Refill: &components.UpdateKeyCreditsRefill{\n Interval: components.UpdateKeyCreditsRefillIntervalDaily,\n Amount: 1000,\n RefillDay: unkey.Pointer[int64](15),\n },\n },\n Ratelimits: []components.RatelimitRequest{\n components.RatelimitRequest{\n Name: \"api\",\n Limit: 738192,\n Duration: 167910,\n },\n },\n Enabled: unkey.Pointer(true),\n Roles: []string{\n \"api_admin\",\n \"billing_reader\",\n },\n Permissions: []string{\n \"documents.read\",\n \"documents.write\",\n \"settings.view\",\n },\n })\n if err != nil {\n log.Fatal(err)\n }\n if res.V2KeysUpdateKeyResponseBody != nil {\n // handle response\n }\n}" - lang: python label: Python (SDK) source: |- from unkey.py import Unkey, models with Unkey( root_key="", ) as unkey: res = unkey.keys.update_key(key_id="key_2cGKbMxRyIzhCxo1Idjz8q", name="Payment Service Production Key", external_id="user_912a841d", meta={ "plan": "enterprise", "limits": { "storage": "500GB", "compute": "1000 minutes/month", }, "features": [ "analytics", "exports", "webhooks", ], "hasAcceptedTerms": True, "billing": { "cycle": "monthly", "next_billing": "2024-01-15", }, "preferences": { "timezone": "UTC", "notifications": True, }, "lastBillingDate": "2023-10-15", }, expires=1704067200000, credits={ "remaining": 1000, "refill": { "interval": models.UpdateKeyCreditsRefillInterval.DAILY, "amount": 1000, "refill_day": 15, }, }, ratelimits=[ { "name": "api", "limit": 738192, "duration": 167910, }, ], enabled=True, roles=[ "api_admin", "billing_reader", ], permissions=[ "documents.read", "documents.write", "settings.view", ]) # Handle response print(res) - lang: typescript label: Typescript (SDK) source: |- import { Unkey } from "@unkey/api"; const unkey = new Unkey({ rootKey: process.env["UNKEY_ROOT_KEY"] ?? "", }); async function run() { const result = await unkey.keys.updateKey({ keyId: "key_2cGKbMxRyIzhCxo1Idjz8q", name: "Payment Service Production Key", externalId: "user_912a841d", meta: { "plan": "enterprise", "limits": { "storage": "500GB", "compute": "1000 minutes/month", }, "features": [ "analytics", "exports", "webhooks", ], "hasAcceptedTerms": true, "billing": { "cycle": "monthly", "next_billing": "2024-01-15", }, "preferences": { "timezone": "UTC", "notifications": true, }, "lastBillingDate": "2023-10-15", }, expires: 1704067200000, credits: { remaining: 1000, refill: { interval: "daily", amount: 1000, refillDay: 15, }, }, ratelimits: [ { name: "api", limit: 738192, duration: 167910, }, ], enabled: true, roles: [ "api_admin", "billing_reader", ], permissions: [ "documents.read", "documents.write", "settings.view", ], }); console.log(result); } run(); components: schemas: V2KeysUpdateKeyRequestBody: type: object required: - keyId properties: keyId: type: string minLength: 3 maxLength: 255 pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$ description: > Specifies which key to update using the database identifier returned from `createKey`. Do not confuse this with the actual API key string that users include in requests. example: key_2cGKbMxRyIzhCxo1Idjz8q name: type: - string - 'null' minLength: 1 maxLength: 255 description: > Sets a human-readable name for internal organization and identification. Omitting this field leaves the current name unchanged, while setting null removes it entirely. Avoid generic names like "API Key" when managing multiple keys per user or service. example: Payment Service Production Key externalId: type: - string - 'null' minLength: 1 maxLength: 255 pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_.-]+$ description: > Links this key to a user or entity in your system for ownership tracking during verification. Omitting this field preserves the current association, while setting null disconnects the key from any identity. Essential for user-specific analytics, billing, and key management across multiple users. Supports letters, numbers, underscores, dots, and hyphens for flexible identifier formats. example: user_912a841d meta: type: - object - 'null' additionalProperties: true maxProperties: 100 description: > Stores arbitrary JSON metadata returned during key verification. Omitting this field preserves existing metadata, while setting null removes all metadata entirely. Avoid storing sensitive data here as it's returned in verification responses. Large metadata objects increase verification latency and should stay under 10KB total size. example: plan: enterprise limits: storage: 500GB compute: 1000 minutes/month features: - analytics - exports - webhooks hasAcceptedTerms: true billing: cycle: monthly next_billing: '2024-01-15' preferences: timezone: UTC notifications: true lastBillingDate: '2023-10-15' expires: type: - integer - 'null' format: int64 minimum: 0 maximum: 4102444800000 description: > Sets when this key automatically expires as a Unix timestamp in milliseconds. Verification fails with code=EXPIRED immediately after this time passes. Omitting this field preserves the current expiration, while setting null makes the key permanent. Avoid setting timestamps in the past as they immediately invalidate the key. Keys expire based on server time, not client time, which prevents timezone-related issues. Active sessions continue until their next verification attempt after expiry. example: 1704067200000 credits: $ref: '#/components/schemas/UpdateKeyCreditsData' description: > Controls usage-based limits for this key through credit consumption. Omitting this field preserves current credit settings, while setting null enables unlimited usage. Cannot configure refill settings when credits is null, and refillDay requires monthly interval. Essential for implementing usage-based pricing and subscription quotas. ratelimits: type: array maxItems: 50 items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/RatelimitRequest' description: > Defines time-based rate limits that protect against abuse by controlling request frequency. Omitting this field preserves existing rate limits, while setting null removes all rate limits. Unlike credits which track total usage, rate limits reset automatically after each window expires. Multiple rate limits can control different operation types with separate thresholds and windows. enabled: type: boolean description: > Controls whether the key is currently active for verification requests. When set to `false`, all verification attempts fail with `code=DISABLED` regardless of other settings. Omitting this field preserves the current enabled status. Useful for temporarily suspending access during billing issues, security incidents, or maintenance windows without losing key configuration. example: true roles: type: array maxItems: 100 items: type: string minLength: 1 maxLength: 100 pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_:\-\.\*]+$ description: > Assigns existing roles to this key for permission management through role-based access control. Roles must already exist in your workspace before assignment. During verification, all permissions from assigned roles are checked against requested permissions. Roles provide a convenient way to group permissions and apply consistent access patterns across multiple keys. example: - api_admin - billing_reader permissions: type: array maxItems: 1000 items: type: string minLength: 3 maxLength: 100 pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_:\-\.\*]+$ description: > Grants specific permissions directly to this key without requiring role membership. Wildcard permissions like `documents.*` grant access to all sub-permissions including `documents.read` and `documents.write`. Direct permissions supplement any permissions inherited from assigned roles. example: - documents.read - documents.write - settings.view additionalProperties: false V2KeysUpdateKeyResponseBody: type: object required: - meta - data properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' data: $ref: '#/components/schemas/EmptyResponse' additionalProperties: false BadRequestErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BadRequestErrorDetails' description: >- Error response for invalid requests that cannot be processed due to client-side errors. This typically occurs when request parameters are missing, malformed, or fail validation rules. The response includes detailed information about the specific errors in the request, including the location of each error and suggestions for fixing it. When receiving this error, check the 'errors' array in the response for specific validation issues that need to be addressed before retrying. UnauthorizedErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when authentication has failed or credentials are missing. This occurs when: - No authentication token is provided in the request - The provided token is invalid, expired, or malformed - The token format doesn't match expected patterns To resolve this error, ensure you're including a valid root key in the Authorization header. ForbiddenErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the provided credentials are valid but lack sufficient permissions for the requested operation. This occurs when: - The root key doesn't have the required permissions for this endpoint - The operation requires elevated privileges that the current key lacks - Access to the requested resource is restricted based on workspace settings To resolve this error, ensure your root key has the necessary permissions or contact your workspace administrator. NotFoundErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the requested resource cannot be found. This occurs when: - The specified resource ID doesn't exist in your workspace - The resource has been deleted or moved - The resource exists but is not accessible with current permissions To resolve this error, verify the resource ID is correct and that you have access to it. TooManyRequestsErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when the client has sent too many requests in a given time period. This occurs when you've exceeded a rate limit or quota for the resource you're accessing. The rate limit resets automatically after the time window expires. To avoid this error: - Implement exponential backoff when retrying requests - Cache results where appropriate to reduce request frequency - Check the error detail message for specific quota information - Contact support if you need a higher quota for your use case InternalServerErrorResponse: type: object required: - meta - error properties: meta: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Meta' error: $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' description: >- Error response when an unexpected error occurs on the server. This indicates a problem with Unkey's systems rather than your request. When you encounter this error: - The request ID in the response can help Unkey support investigate the issue - The error is likely temporary and retrying may succeed - If the error persists, contact Unkey support with the request ID UpdateKeyCreditsData: type: - object - 'null' description: Credit configuration and remaining balance for this key. properties: remaining: type: - integer - 'null' format: int64 minimum: 0 maximum: 9223372036854776000 description: >- Number of credits remaining (null for unlimited). This also clears the refilling schedule. example: 1000 refill: $ref: '#/components/schemas/UpdateKeyCreditsRefill' additionalProperties: false RatelimitRequest: type: object required: - name - limit - duration - autoApply properties: name: description: >- The name of this rate limit. This name is used to identify which limit to check during key verification. Best practices for limit names: - Use descriptive, semantic names like 'api_requests', 'heavy_operations', or 'downloads' - Be consistent with naming conventions across your application - Create separate limits for different resource types or operation costs - Consider using namespaced names for better organization (e.g., 'files.downloads', 'compute.training') You will reference this exact name when verifying keys to check against this specific limit. type: string example: api minLength: 3 maxLength: 128 limit: description: >- The maximum number of operations allowed within the specified time window. When this limit is reached, verification requests will fail with `code=RATE_LIMITED` until the window resets. The limit should reflect: - Your infrastructure capacity and scaling limitations - Fair usage expectations for your service - Different tier levels for various user types - The relative cost of the operations being limited Higher values allow more frequent access but may impact service performance. type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1 duration: description: >- The duration for each ratelimit window in milliseconds. This controls how long the rate limit counter accumulates before resetting. Common values include: - 1000 (1 second): For strict per-second limits on high-frequency operations - 60000 (1 minute): For moderate API usage control - 3600000 (1 hour): For less frequent but costly operations - 86400000 (24 hours): For daily quotas Shorter windows provide more frequent resets but may allow large burst usage. Longer windows provide more consistent usage patterns but take longer to reset after limit exhaustion. type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1000 autoApply: description: >- Whether this ratelimit should be automatically applied when verifying a key. type: boolean default: false Meta: type: object required: - requestId properties: requestId: description: >- A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance. example: req_123 type: string additionalProperties: false description: >- Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The `requestId` is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team. EmptyResponse: type: object additionalProperties: false description: >- Empty response object by design. A successful response indicates this operation was successfully executed. BadRequestErrorDetails: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/BaseError' - type: object properties: errors: description: >- List of individual validation errors that occurred in the request. Each error provides specific details about what failed validation, where the error occurred in the request, and suggestions for fixing it. This granular information helps developers quickly identify and resolve multiple issues in a single request without having to make repeated API calls. items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ValidationError' type: array required: - errors description: >- Extended error details specifically for bad request (400) errors. This builds on the BaseError structure by adding an array of individual validation errors, making it easy to identify and fix multiple issues at once. BaseError: properties: detail: description: >- A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence of the problem. This provides detailed information about what went wrong and potential remediation steps. The message is intended to be helpful for developers troubleshooting the issue. example: Property foo is required but is missing. type: string status: description: >- HTTP status code that corresponds to this error. This will match the status code in the HTTP response. Common codes include `400` (Bad Request), `401` (Unauthorized), `403` (Forbidden), `404` (Not Found), `409` (Conflict), and `500` (Internal Server Error). example: 404 format: int type: integer title: description: >- A short, human-readable summary of the problem type. This remains constant from occurrence to occurrence of the same problem and should be used for programmatic handling. example: Not Found type: string type: description: >- A URI reference that identifies the problem type. This provides a stable identifier for the error that can be used for documentation lookups and programmatic error handling. When followed, this URI should provide human-readable documentation for the problem type. example: https://unkey.com/docs/errors/unkey/resource/not_found type: string required: - title - detail - status - type type: object additionalProperties: false description: >- Base error structure following Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 7807). This provides a standardized way to carry machine-readable details of errors in HTTP response content. UpdateKeyCreditsRefill: type: - object - 'null' description: Configuration for automatic credit refill behavior. properties: interval: type: string enum: - daily - monthly x-speakeasy-unknown-values: allow description: How often credits are automatically refilled. example: daily amount: type: integer format: int64 minimum: 1 maximum: 9223372036854776000 description: Number of credits to add during each refill cycle. example: 1000 refillDay: type: integer minimum: 1 maximum: 31 description: > Day of the month for monthly refills (1-31). Only required when interval is 'monthly'. For days beyond the month's length, refill occurs on the last day of the month. example: 15 required: - interval - amount additionalProperties: false ValidationError: additionalProperties: false properties: location: description: >- JSON path indicating exactly where in the request the error occurred. This helps pinpoint the problematic field or parameter. Examples include: - 'body.name' (field in request body) - 'body.items[3].tags' (nested array element) - 'path.apiId' (path parameter) - 'query.limit' (query parameter) Use this location to identify exactly which part of your request needs correction. type: string example: body.permissions[0].name message: description: >- Detailed error message explaining what validation rule was violated. This provides specific information about why the field or parameter was rejected, such as format errors, invalid values, or constraint violations. type: string example: Must be at least 3 characters long fix: description: >- A human-readable suggestion describing how to fix the error. This provides practical guidance on what changes would satisfy the validation requirements. Not all validation errors include fix suggestions, but when present, they offer specific remediation advice. type: string example: >- Ensure the name uses only alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens required: - location - message type: object description: >- Individual validation error details. Each validation error provides precise information about what failed, where it failed, and how to fix it, enabling efficient error resolution. securitySchemes: rootKey: bearerFormat: root key description: >- Unkey uses API keys (root keys) for authentication. These keys authorize access to management operations in the API. To authenticate, include your root key in the Authorization header of each request: ``` Authorization: Bearer unkey_123 ``` Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Key permissions follow a hierarchical structure with patterns like `resource.resource_id.action` (e.g., `apis.*.create_key`, `apis.*.read_api`). Security best practices: - Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code - Use different root keys for different environments - Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures - Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle - Monitor key usage with audit logs. scheme: bearer type: http ````