Authentication | EmpirioLabs AI Docs

All EmpirioLabs API requests must include a bearer token in the Authorization header.

API key format

API keys use the sk-empiriolabs- prefix. You can generate up to 50 API keys per account from the dashboard.

Authorization: Bearer sk-empiriolabs-...

Header format

Include the header on every request:

curl "https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/models" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-empiriolabs-your_key_here"

Your own coding agents: the EmpirioLabs AI CLI signs in with your browser and starts Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI and other agents already connected.
Apps you build for other people: with Sign in with EmpirioLabs AI, your users connect their account through OAuth 2.1 and your app receives an access token of its own, which they can disconnect under Settings > Connected applications.
MCP clients such as Claude and ChatGPT connect the same way: see MCP Server.

Rate limits

Each account starts with default rate limits:

Limit	Default
Requests per minute	50 RPM
Tokens per minute	2,000,000 TPM

If you need higher limits, email support@empiriolabs.ai. See Limits and API Keys for full details.

Recommended practices

Generate separate API keys for production, staging, and development
Rotate keys on a regular schedule and immediately after suspected exposure
Store keys in a secret manager or deployment platform; never in client-side code, public repos, or logs
Delete unused keys from the dashboard promptly

Test your credentials

A quick way to verify your key is working:

curl "https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/account/usage?limit=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY"

A 200 response with your balance confirms the key is valid; 401 means it is missing, mistyped or deleted. The model list at /v1/models is public, so it answers without a key and cannot confirm one.

Common authentication responses

Status code	Meaning	What to do
`401 Unauthorized`	The token is missing, malformed, or not found	Verify the `Authorization: Bearer sk-empiriolabs-...` header format and that the key exists in your dashboard
`402 Payment Required`	The account has insufficient credits	Top up credits on the dashboard Billing page
`429 Too Many Requests`	Rate limit exceeded (50 RPM default)	Retry with exponential backoff and review your request volume

For the complete list of status codes across every endpoint, see Errors and Status Codes.