---
title: "Dashboard-issued MCP API keys"
description: "Issue long-lived SHINE AI MCP keys from the dashboard for terminal clients, scripts, and anything not using OAuth."
---

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

# Dashboard-issued MCP API keys

Most users will connect via OAuth — Claude and ChatGPT handle it in-app. But if you're writing a terminal client, a CI script, a webhook, or anything that can't do OAuth, you can issue a long-lived API key from the SHINE dashboard.

## Create a mcp key

1. Go to **[shineai.io/mcp-api-keys](https://shineai.io/mcp-api-keys)** in your SHINE account.
2. Click **Create key**.
3. Name it (e.g. `cli-local`**).**
4. Pick scopes (`answers:read`, `search:read`).
5. Pick a rate limit tier (Pro by default).
6. Click **Create**.

The raw key appears **once**. Copy it immediately — it won't be shown again. If you lose it, revoke and create a new one.

## Use the key

Send it as a bearer token on every `/v1/mcp` request:

```bash
curl https://mcp.shineai.io/v1/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer shine_sk_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'
```

## Revoke

From the same dashboard page, click **Revoke** on the key. Access stops instantly.

## Format

Dashboard keys have the format `shine_sk_live_<32-char base62>`. They're SHA-256 hashed before storage — SHINE cannot recover a lost key, you must revoke and recreate.

Source: https://docs.shineai.io/mcp-api-keys/overview/index.mdx