portal_token_missing

{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_2c9a0jf23l4k567"
  },
  "error": {
    "detail": "A portal session token is required for this request.",
    "status": 401,
    "title": "Unauthorized",
    "type": "https://unkey.com/docs/errors/unkey/authentication/portal_token_missing"
  }
}

​

What Happened?

• An httpOnly session cookie set by the portal after a successful code exchange, or
• An Authorization: Bearer <portal-access-token> header on direct API calls from a browser session.

• The user’s browser has cookies disabled or blocked for the portal domain.
• The session was never established: the user landed on the portal without going through POST /v2/portal.exchangeCode.
• A backend integration is calling a portal-only endpoint with a root key instead of a portal access token.
• The session cookie was cleared or the user opened the portal in a private/incognito window with stripped state.

​

How To Fix

1. From your backend, call POST /v2/portal.createSession with your root key.
2. Redirect the user to the returned url. The portal will redeem the code it carries for a 24-hour access token.
3. Subsequent requests from the browser must include the portal session cookie or access token.

curl -X POST https://api.unkey.com/v2/portal.createSession \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ROOT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "portal": "my-portal",
    "externalId": "user_123",
    "scopes": ["keys:read"]
  }'

await fetch("https://api.unkey.com/v2/...", {
  credentials: "include",
});

​

Common Mistakes

• Calling portal endpoints with a root key: Root keys authenticate backend requests, not portal endpoints. Use a portal session.
• Sending the id instead of the access token: portal.createSession returns a non-secret id. It identifies the session but does not authenticate it.
• Missing credentials: "include": Cross-origin browser requests omit cookies by default.
• Expired session not refreshed: After 24 hours the access token expires, so your backend must create a new session.
• Direct navigation to the portal: Users must arrive via your backend redirect, not by visiting the portal URL directly.

​

Related Errors

• err:unkey:authentication:portal_session_not_found - When a portal credential is provided but invalid, expired, or already used
• err:unkey:authentication:missing - When no authentication credentials are provided to a non-portal endpoint
• err:unkey:data:portal_not_found - When the portal referenced by portal does not exist