# Never paste API keys in chat

Never paste API keys, session cookies, seed phrases, or broker passwords into a chat with an agent — once in the transcript they can be logged, replayed, or leaked; use the product’s secret/vault path or a dedicated connector grant instead. Pairs with never-share-seed-with-agent, connect-only-what-you-need, rotate-before-raise-balance, separate-browser-profile-for-agent. Agent Lane does not hold credentials or run your agents.

Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/never-paste-api-keys-in-chat/

## Answer first

Do not paste API keys, session cookies, seed phrases, broker passwords, or other long-lived secrets into agent chat, prompts, memory writes, shared-box notes, or screenshots the bot can read. Use the product’s secret vault, an env path the agent is not asked to echo, or a dedicated connector grant instead. Once a secret is in the transcript it can be logged, replayed, or leaked.

## Why pasting secrets into chat is the failure mode

- **Transcript durability** — chat is logged, backed up, and often shared; a pasted key outlives the session.
- **Replay** — an API key, cookie, or password in scrollback can be copied into the next tool call or by anyone with transcript access.
- **Memory write** — “remember this token” stores the secret for every future session — [agent-memory.md](./agent-memory.md).
- **Screenshot / shared notes** — shared-box notes and images the bot can OCR are agent-visible — [shared-box.md](./shared-box.md).
- **“Just so you can configure the connector”** — pasting a broker password or API secret into chat still puts the credential in the transcript. Use the product’s grant or vault path instead.

A secret in the transcript is a secret the next prompt, log, shared user, or leak can replay. Caps and review do not undo a credential that already left the vault.

## What it means

1. No paste into chat — API keys, cookies, seeds, broker passwords stay out of the transcript.
2. Vault or connector grant — official secret/vault path or dedicated OAuth/scoped grant.
3. Least privilege — [connect-only-what-you-need.md](./connect-only-what-you-need.md).
4. Seeds still offline — [never-share-seed-with-agent.md](./never-share-seed-with-agent.md).
5. If leaked — revoke/rotate at issuer; [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md); [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md).

## Shield stack

1. [dedicated-agent-wallet.md](./dedicated-agent-wallet.md) — money the bot can reach.
2. [never-share-seed-with-agent.md](./never-share-seed-with-agent.md) — master keys offline.
3. Never paste API keys in chat (this page) — credentials out of the transcript.
4. [connect-only-what-you-need.md](./connect-only-what-you-need.md) — minimum live tool set.
5. [separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md](./separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md) — personal cookies/vault unlocks off agent profile.
6. [agent-spend-caps.md](./agent-spend-caps.md) + [review-before-place.md](./review-before-place.md) — bound and gate.
7. [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md) / [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md) — leak response.

## How to keep secrets out of chat

1. Keep secrets out of chat (no paste into transcript, memory, notes, screenshots for the bot).
2. Use the product secret or vault path — confirm on the official page; do not invent a product screen.
3. Prefer a dedicated connector grant — least privilege; reopen with [one-connector-at-a-time.md](./one-connector-at-a-time.md).
4. Separate browser and vault unlocks — [separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md](./separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md), [shared-box.md](./shared-box.md).
5. Harden memory and shared box — [agent-memory.md](./agent-memory.md); seeds still [never-share-seed-with-agent.md](./never-share-seed-with-agent.md).
6. If a secret already landed in chat: revoke/rotate → prune → rotate before raise; overnight [empty-sleeve-overnight.md](./empty-sleeve-overnight.md).

## Practical checklist

- No secrets in chat, memory, notes, or screenshots for the bot.
- Vault or connector grant — never “paste so the agent can configure it.”
- Least privilege — only the connectors this job needs.
- Leak response memorized — revoke/rotate → prune → rotate before raise.

Related: [never-share-seed-with-agent.md](./never-share-seed-with-agent.md), [connect-only-what-you-need.md](./connect-only-what-you-need.md), [rotate-before-raise-balance.md](./rotate-before-raise-balance.md), [separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md](./separate-browser-profile-for-agent.md), [shared-box.md](./shared-box.md), [agent-memory.md](./agent-memory.md), [revoke-before-debug.md](./revoke-before-debug.md), [dedicated-agent-wallet.md](./dedicated-agent-wallet.md).

## FAQ

**What does never paste API keys in chat mean?**
Do not paste API keys, session cookies, seed phrases, broker passwords, or other long-lived secrets into agent chat, memory, or shared notes. Use the product’s secret/vault path or a dedicated connector grant instead.

**Why is pasting secrets into chat the failure mode?**
Transcripts are durable and replayable. A secret in chat can be logged, shared, or copied into the next tool call. Caps do not undo a credential that left the vault.

**How is this different from never-share-seed-with-agent?**
Never-share-seed is the hard rule for recovery phrases and private keys. This page covers the broader class of API keys, cookies, and broker passwords. Use both.

**What should I use instead?**
Official vault/secret path or dedicated connector grant with least privilege — [connect-only-what-you-need.md](./connect-only-what-you-need.md).

**Already pasted a key?**
Treat as compromised. Revoke/rotate at issuer, prune memory/notes, revoke live connectors, rotate before raise.

## Sources

- Canonical HTML: https://agentlane.net/guides/never-paste-api-keys-in-chat/
- Related shelf: https://agentlane.net/resources/
- Site index: https://agentlane.net/llms.txt

Agent Lane publishes checklists. We do not hold credentials, place trades, or run your agents.