> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vespper.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> Authenticate vespper-docx-mcp requests with Bearer API keys

Every hosted MCP request requires an API key.

## Get an API key

1. Sign in at the [developer dashboard](https://app.vespper.com).
2. Create a key on the **API Keys** page.
3. Keys start with `sk_live_` — treat them like passwords.

## MCP authentication

Connect to `https://mcp.vespper.com/mcp` with your key in the `Authorization` header:

```
Authorization: Bearer sk_live_YOUR_KEY
```

Most examples use an environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
export VESPPER_API_KEY=sk_live_YOUR_KEY
```

How you set this depends on your stack — see the [Quickstart](/quickstart) for Cursor, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Copilot CLI, Claude Desktop, SDK, and raw MCP client examples.

## Security

<Warning>
  Never commit API keys to git or expose them in client-side code. Keys authenticate as the account owner and count toward usage credits.
</Warning>

If a key is leaked, revoke it in the dashboard and create a new one.