X Ads API keys
X Ads API credentials belong in configuration, not in a commit. This page covers where to create one, what it looks like, and how APIKeyConnect stores it without ever being able to read it.
The facts
- Category
- Marketing & Ads
- API host
ads-api.x.com- Sensitivity
- Critical
- Create a key
- https://console.x.com — Open your app → Keys and tokens. Ads API access requires a separate application form.
- Documentation
- https://docs.x.com/x-ads-api/fundamentals/making-authenticated-requests
A leaked key here can move money, delete data, or impersonate your organisation. Rotate immediately if one is ever exposed, and never let one reach a client bundle.
Kinds of X Ads key
API key secret
Consumer secret for your developer app
Access token secret
OAuth 1.0a user credentials for the ad account
How APIKeyConnect stores it
The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM, under a key derived from your master password with PBKDF2-SHA-256 at 600,000 iterations. The password never leaves your device, and the server holds ciphertext it has no way to open.
What the server can see — and what this design does not protect against — is written out in full on the security page. That section exists because a page with no limits section is marketing.
Questions
Where do I get a X Ads API key?
X Ads issues keys from https://console.x.com. Open your app → Keys and tokens. Ads API access requires a separate application form. Once you have it, store it in APIKeyConnect rather than in a .env file you might commit — the key is encrypted on your device with a master password we never receive.
How dangerous is a leaked X Ads key?
Critical sensitivity. A leaked key here can move money, delete data, or impersonate your organisation. Rotate immediately if one is ever exposed, and never let one reach a client bundle.
Does X Ads have more than one kind of key?
Yes — API key secret, Access token secret. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the X Ads key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my X Ads key?
No. The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM under a key derived from your master password (PBKDF2-SHA-256, 600,000 iterations). The password never leaves your device and the server stores ciphertext it cannot open. What the server can see is documented in full on the security page, including what this design does not protect against.