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Can I share my API key with my teammate/coworker?

Learn why it’s best to keep API keys private and how to securely give your team access.

Updated over 2 months ago

Can I share my API key?

We do not recommend sharing your personal API key — even with trusted coworkers or teammates. API keys grant access to your organization's usage and billing, and sharing them can:

  • Compromise account security

  • Obscure usage tracking

  • Violate best practices for safe key management


What's the recommended way to collaborate?

You should not use user-based keys for team collaboration. Instead, we recommend using Project-based API keys, which are designed for safe, auditable, and scalable collaboration:

  • Create Projects in your OpenAI dashboard.

  • Assign members to Projects based on team, product, or environment (e.g., staging vs. production).

  • Generate distinct API keys per Project, with isolated rate limits and spend controls.

  • Monitor usage per Project in your usage dashboard.

This approach gives you:

  • Stronger access control

  • Better separation of environments

  • Clear, per-project usage visibility

  • Safer operational boundaries for production systems


Can I still invite users to the organization?

Yes. From the Team page, you can:

  • Invite teammates to your organization

  • Assign them as readers or owners

  • Let them use Projects securely without sharing personal keys

Each user can authenticate using keys tied to the Projects they’re authorized to access.


Where should I store API keys?

All API keys should be:

  • Stored securely using environment variables or secret management tools

  • Never committed to code or shared in plaintext

  • Rotated if you suspect they've been exposed


What if I want to separate environments?

You can:

  • Create separate Projects for staging, production, and development

  • Assign distinct API keys and users to each environment

  • Apply separate rate and spend limits per Project

This gives you tighter operational control and reduces the risk of accidentally affecting live systems.

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