Connecting via API Key

When to use API key authentication

Most REST APIs authenticate via an API key. Chase Agents supports all common API key patterns: bearer tokens in the Authorization header, basic auth, custom headers, and query parameters. You store the credential once when setting up the connection, then reference it by name in your automation steps.

Adding the connection

Go to My Connections in the sidebar and click Add Connection. Select API as the connection type. Enter the base URL of the service — for example, https://api.stripe.com/v1 for Stripe or https://api.github.com for GitHub. Give the connection a descriptive name, then add your credentials.

Credential storage and variable names

Each credential you add gets a variable name you assign (for example, STRIPE_API_KEY). That name is then used in automation step parameters as a template reference written as the variable name wrapped in dollar-sign curly braces. The actual credential value is encrypted, never logged, never visible in step outputs, and never exposed to the AI building the automation.

Supported auth patterns

In a call_api_endpoint step, pass your credential in the appropriate location:

• Bearer token — add to the Authorization header as "Bearer " followed by the credential variable reference
• Basic auth — add to the Authorization header as "Basic " followed by the credential variable reference
• Custom header — use any header name (like X-API-Key) with the credential variable reference as the value
• Query parameter — append the credential variable reference to the URL as a query string parameter

Multiple credentials per connection

A single connection can have multiple credentials. This is useful when a service requires both an API key and a client secret, or when you have different access tokens for different operations on the same API. Each credential gets its own variable name and is referenced independently in steps.