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 credential must have one of the following permissions:

api.*.update_key (to update keys in any API)
api.<api_id>.update_key (to update keys in a specific API)
unkey:v1:<workspace_id>:keyspaces/*/keys/*#update_key (to update keys in any keyspace)
unkey:v1:<workspace_id>:keyspaces/<keyspace_id>/keys/*#update_key (to update keys in a specific keyspace)
unkey:v1:<workspace_id>:keyspaces/<keyspace_id>/keys/<key_id>#update_key (to update a specific key)

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.

1 min read

post/v2/keys.updateKey

Request example

package main

import(
	"context"
	"os"
	unkey "github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2"
	"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components"
	"log"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()

    s := unkey.New(
        unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("UNKEY_ROOT_KEY")),
    )

    res, err := s.Keys.UpdateKey(ctx, components.V2KeysUpdateKeyRequestBody{
        KeyID: "key_2cGKbMxRyIzhCxo1Idjz8q",
        Name: unkey.Pointer("Payment Service Production Key"),
        ExternalID: unkey.Pointer("user_912a841d"),
        Meta: map[string]any{
            "plan": "enterprise",
            "limits": map[string]any{
                "storage": "500GB",
                "compute": "1000 minutes/month",
            },
            "features": []any{
                "analytics",
                "exports",
                "webhooks",
            },
            "hasAcceptedTerms": true,
            "billing": map[string]any{
                "cycle": "monthly",
                "next_billing": "2024-01-15",
            },
            "preferences": map[string]any{
                "timezone": "UTC",
                "notifications": true,
            },
            "lastBillingDate": "2023-10-15",
        },
        Expires: unkey.Pointer[int64](1704067200000),
        Credits: &components.UpdateKeyCreditsData{
            Remaining: unkey.Pointer[int64](1000),
            Refill: &components.UpdateKeyCreditsRefill{
                Interval: components.UpdateKeyCreditsRefillIntervalDaily,
                Amount: 1000,
                RefillDay: unkey.Pointer[int64](15),
            },
        },
        Ratelimits: []components.RatelimitRequest{
            components.RatelimitRequest{
                Name: "api",
                Limit: 738192,
                Duration: 167910,
            },
        },
        Enabled: unkey.Pointer(true),
        Roles: []string{
            "api_admin",
            "billing_reader",
        },
        Permissions: []string{
            "documents.read",
            "documents.write",
            "settings.view",
        },
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    if res.V2KeysUpdateKeyResponseBody != nil {
        // handle response
    }
}

Response

{
  "data": {},
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_01H9TQPP77V5E48E9SH0BG0ZQY"
  }
}

post/v2/keys.updateKey

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token 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. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
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.

Body

application/json

keyIdstringrequired#

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.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$

namestring#

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.

Length: 1–255

externalIdstring#

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.

Length: 1–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_.-]+$

metaobject#

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.

expiresinteger#

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.

Range: 0–4102444800000

creditsobject#

Credit configuration and remaining balance for this key.

Show child attributes

remaininginteger#

Number of credits remaining (null for unlimited). This also clears the refilling schedule.

Range: 0–9223372036854776000

refillobject#

Configuration for automatic credit refill behavior.

Show child attributes

intervalenum<string>required#

How often credits are automatically refilled.

Options:dailymonthly

amountintegerrequired#

Number of credits to add during each refill cycle.

Range: 1–9223372036854776000

refillDayinteger#

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.

Range: 1–31

ratelimitsobject[]#

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.

Items: max 50

Show child attributes

namestringrequired#

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.

Length: 3–128

limitintegerrequired#

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.

Range: >= 1

durationintegerrequired#

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.

Range: >= 1000

autoApplybooleanrequired#

Whether this ratelimit should be automatically applied when verifying a key.

Default: false

enabledboolean#

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.

rolesstring[]#

Items: max 100

permissionsstring[]#

Items: max 1000

Responses

application/json

Key updated successfully. Changes take effect immediately with up to 30-second edge propagation.

metaobjectrequired#

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.

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

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.

dataobjectrequired#

Empty response object by design. A successful response indicates this operation was successfully executed.

metaobjectrequired#

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

errorobjectrequired#

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.

Show child attributes

detailstringrequired#

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.

statusintegerrequired#

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).

titlestringrequired#

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.

typestringrequired#

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.

errorsobject[]required#

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.

Show child attributes

locationstringrequired#

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.

messagestringrequired#

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.

fixstring#

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.

Update key credits Verify API key