Create and manage API keys

API keys give an integration access to selected parts of one Protodesk workspace. Create only the permissions that integration needs and keep the secret out of browser code, public repositories, and customer messages.

Create a key

1. Open Settings → API and select Create key.
2. Enter a descriptive name, such as Help article authoring.
3. Choose the Environment label and review the selected Permissions. Uncheck modules and actions the integration does not need.
4. If you select Help Center access, choose Expires in and review the external-sharing acknowledgement.
5. Create the key, copy its one-time secret, and store it securely.

Test and Live are key labels. They do not create separate databases or isolated workspaces. Check the workspace before using either kind of key.

Help Center authoring access

An external AI authoring tool needs Help Center read access to inspect existing articles and draft-proposal access to suggest changes. This can expose both draft and published Help Center content to the tool you use, so review the sharing acknowledgement carefully.

These permissions do not allow the tool to approve or publish its proposals. A person reviews them inside Protodesk. Keys with Help Center access expire; the available expiry choices are shown in the creation dialog.

Use and revoke a key

Send the key as a Bearer token to the Platform API at https://api.protodesk.io/v1:

Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>

The full secret is shown only once. Review each key's permissions and last-used information periodically.

To stop access, locate the key in Settings → API and select Revoke. Revocation cannot be undone. If another system still needs the integration, create and test a replacement before revoking the old key.