> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.costhawk.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Authentication

> How to authenticate with the CostHawk API

## Access Tokens

All API requests must include an access token in the `Authorization` header using the Bearer scheme.

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET "https://costhawk.ai/api/mcp/usage/summary" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ch_sk_your_token_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"
```

## Getting a Token

1. Log into your [CostHawk dashboard](https://costhawk.ai/dashboard)
2. Go to **Settings → Developer**
3. Click **Create Token**
4. Copy the token (displayed only once)

## Token Format

CostHawk tokens are prefixed with `ch_sk_` followed by a unique identifier:

```
ch_sk_XFDmvHtmzmwpbuh_JGnC9LTnkErUnB99aARwbPyo5-A
```

## Error Responses

### 401 Unauthorized

No token provided or token is invalid:

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": "No API key provided. You must first sign up at https://costhawk.ai to get an API key."
}
```

### 403 Forbidden

Token doesn't have permission for this resource:

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": "Insufficient permissions for this resource"
}
```

## Security Best Practices

<Warning>
  Never expose your access token in client-side code, public repositories, or logs.
</Warning>

* Store tokens in environment variables
* Use different tokens for dev/staging/production
* Rotate tokens periodically
* Revoke unused tokens immediately