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

# AX MCP Authentication

> How the Arize AX MCP server authenticates requests with a bearer token, and how to get an API key.

## Authentication

You authenticate with an Arize [API key or service key](/docs/ax/security-and-settings/api-keys), passed as a bearer token. The server holds no permission logic of its own: it forwards your key to the REST API on every call, so an agent sees exactly the spaces and projects you can see, and a `404` on a resource you lack read access to means the same thing it means over HTTP. Revoking the key cuts the agent off immediately.

## Get an API key

1. Go to **Settings → API Keys** in Arize AX.
2. Click **+ New API Key**, name it after the client you are connecting, then click **Create Key**.
3. Copy the key. Arize shows it once.

Both [user keys and service keys](/docs/ax/security-and-settings/api-keys) work. A user key inherits your own permissions, which is usually what you want for a personal editor. Use a service key when the connection outlives your account, such as a shared agent or a team workstation.

Export it so your client config does not carry the secret:

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light-default","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
export ARIZE_API_KEY=<your-arize-api-key>
```

<Warning>
  Keys grant an agent read access to every space you can see. Treat one like a password: keep it out of committed files, and revoke it in **Settings → API Keys** if it leaks.
</Warning>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Endpoints" icon="globe" href="/docs/api-clients/mcp/endpoints">
    Regional URLs for the MCP server.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect your client" icon="plug" href="/docs/api-clients/mcp/connect">
    Per-client setup for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Codex, and others.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tool catalog" icon="list" href="/docs/api-clients/mcp/tool-catalog">
    Every tool, grouped by resource.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>