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

# Authentication

> Authentication methods for the thinnestAI API.

# Authentication

thinnestAI supports two authentication methods depending on your use case.

***

## 1. Auth0 JWT — Dashboard & Management

Used by the dashboard frontend and management API endpoints (creating agents, managing knowledge, etc.). Tokens are obtained via the Auth0 login flow.

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.thinnest.ai/v1/agents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH0_JWT"
```

***

## 2. Agent API Keys — External Chat

For external integrations where end users chat with your agents. API keys are scoped to a single agent and can only be used for the [Chat endpoint](/api-reference/agents/chat).

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.thinnest.ai/v1/agents/ag_c47e7c97_b2f2/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ak_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message": "Hello"}'
```

***

## Key Formats

| Type             | Prefix     | Example               | Used For                  |
| ---------------- | ---------- | --------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Agent API Key    | `ak_`      | `ak_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8` | External chat with agents |
| Platform API Key | `thns_sk_` | `thns_sk_abc123xyz`   | Platform-level access     |
| Agent ID         | `ag_`      | `ag_c47e7c97_b2f2`    | Identifying agents        |

***

## Error Responses

| Code  | Description                             |
| ----- | --------------------------------------- |
| `401` | Missing or invalid token/key            |
| `403` | Valid auth but insufficient permissions |
| `429` | Rate limit exceeded                     |

```json theme={null}
{
  "detail": "Invalid or expired authentication token"
}
```

***

## Rate Limits

| Auth Type     | Limit                      |
| ------------- | -------------------------- |
| Auth0 JWT     | 200 requests/minute        |
| Agent API Key | 60 requests/minute per key |