Generate a Paperclip API key

Paperclip is the API-key path for non-agent clients to talk to AgentValet — automation tools, custom dashboards, internal scripts. It’s not for AI agents (use registered agents for those); it’s for systems that need read access to your account or limited control.

Where

/settings → Paperclip API keys card (collapsible).

Generating a key

Click Generate new key
The form asks for:
- Label — something memorable (e.g., “Internal status board”)
- Company ID — your Paperclip org reference, if you use Paperclip externally
Click Generate

The modal then shows the new keypair once:

Key ID
Private key (PEM) — copy this now; it’s never shown again
Public key (PEM) — for reference; AgentValet keeps a copy

Below the keys: a confirmation checkbox “I have stored this key” and a Done button. You can’t dismiss the modal without copying.

How the key is used

Programmatic clients sign requests with this private key, the same way registered agents do. The proxy verifies the signature against the registered public key.

Paperclip keys carry different default permissions than agents — typically broader read access, narrower write access. Treat them like service credentials, not user credentials.

Listing and revoking

The card lists all your Paperclip keys with:

Label
Created at
Last used at
A trash icon to revoke

Click the trash icon for a key you want to revoke. Confirmation prompt:

“Delete {label}? This cannot be undone.”

Click Yes, revoke (red). The key is invalidated immediately — next request signed with that private key fails.

If you lose the private key

You can’t recover it. Generate a new key and revoke the lost one. Update whichever automation was using the old key.

When NOT to use Paperclip

You’re building an AI agent that calls platforms via AgentValet. Use a normal registered agent (CLI / MCPB). Paperclip is for system-to-system clients.
You want to share access with a teammate. Use approval delegation instead — it scopes them to just the approval action, not full account access.