> ## 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.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Unkey is two separate products. Compute builds, deploys, and runs apps behind a gateway. API Management issues API keys, enforces rate limits, manages identities and permissions, and reports usage. Say which product a page belongs to; a reader can use either without the other.
> Every Unkey API endpoint is an HTTP POST to https://api.unkey.com/v2/{service}.{procedure} with a root key in the Authorization: Bearer header. Root keys are workspace scoped.
> Error codes have the form err:{system}:{category}:{specific} and each has a page at /errors/{system}/{category}/{specific}.
> The word environment means production or preview in Compute. Rate limiting has four meanings on this site; the glossary lists them.

# unkey api keys verify-key

> Verify a key the way your API would on a request.

<Note>
  You need a root key with the permissions listed on this page. Create one in the dashboard under **Settings > Root Keys**. See [Permission reference](/docs/platform/root-keys/permissions-legacy) for every permission.
</Note>

Verify a key the way your API would. An invalid key still returns `200`, with `valid: false`, and the command exits successfully. Check `data.valid` and `data.code`, not the exit status. Calls `POST /v2/keys.verifyKey`. See [Verifying keys](/docs/api-management/keys/verifying-keys).

## Usage

```bash theme={"system"}
unkey api keys verify-key --key=<key> [flags]
```

## Flags

<ParamField body="--key" type="string" required>
  The key to verify, including its prefix.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--credits" type="string">
  JSON object with `cost`, the number of credits this verification uses. Defaults to 1.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--migration-id" type="string">
  Migration id, to verify a key that hasn't been imported yet. The key is imported on first use.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--permissions" type="string">
  Permission query the key must satisfy, for example `documents.read AND (billing.read OR billing.write)`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--ratelimits" type="string">
  JSON array of rate limits to check, each with `name` and optional `cost`, `limit`, and `duration` overrides.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--tags" type="string[]">
  Comma-separated `key=value` tags recorded on the verification for analytics. At most 20 tags, each up to 512 characters.
</ParamField>

### Shared flags

Every `unkey api` command takes these. See [CLI output and shared flags](/docs/platform/cli/output-and-flags).

<ParamField body="--root-key" type="string">
  Root key used for the request. Falls back to `UNKEY_ROOT_KEY`, then to the key stored by `unkey auth login`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--api-url" type="string" default="https://api.unkey.com">
  Base URL of the API. Falls back to `UNKEY_API_BASE_URL`. You don't normally need to set it.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--config" type="string" default="~/.unkey/config.toml">
  Path of the config file written by `unkey auth login`. Falls back to `UNKEY_CONFIG`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--output" type="string">
  Output format. Falls back to `UNKEY_OUTPUT`. `json` prints the full response. Any other value prints the request ID and `data`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--body" type="string">
  Send this JSON as the whole request body instead of using the command's flags. You can't combine it with them. The endpoint also accepts `keyspaces`, a list of up to five keyspace ids that the key has to be in. It has no flag of its own, and a key outside them comes back as `NOT_FOUND` without spending credits or rate limits.
</ParamField>

## Required permissions

`api.*.verify_key` or `api.<apiId>.verify_key` for the API the key belongs to. A missing permission never returns `403`. Whether the root key has no verify permission or has one for a different API, you get `200` with `valid: false` and code `NOT_FOUND`. See [Root key permissions](/docs/platform/root-keys/permissions).

## Examples

```bash Verify theme={"system"}
unkey api keys verify-key --key=sk_1234abcdef
```

```bash Verify with a permission query and tags theme={"system"}
unkey api keys verify-key --key=sk_1234abcdef --permissions='documents.read AND users.view' --tags=endpoint=/users/profile,method=GET
```

Or send the whole request as JSON:

```bash Raw body theme={"system"}
unkey api keys verify-key --body='{"key":"sk_1234abcdef","permissions":"documents.read AND users.view","credits":{"cost":1}}'
```