Fix API 401 invalid token errors
HTTP 401 on MonkeyAI is usually an authentication problem, not a full outage. Read the JSON code first, fix one credential path, then retest GET /v1/models before touching agent config.
What 401 actually means here
A structured 401 means the gateway answered and rejected the credential presentation. That is different from a blank gateway page, a TLS failure, or a 504 upstream timeout.
| Signal | Meaning | First move |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP 401 + JSON body | Auth layer rejected the request | Inspect code and the Authorization path |
| HTTP 404 / model not found | Auth may already be fine | Use a model id from /v1/models |
| HTTP 504 | Upstream or proxy timeout | See the 504 guide; a new key will not fix it |
| SDK timeout, no HTTP status | Client stopped waiting | Check network/timeout settings, not key text first |
Measured production responses
These probes hit https://monkeytheme.com on 2026-08-04. No real user key was used. Bodies are summarized from live JSON.
| Request shape | HTTP | code | message summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Authorization header | 401 | API_KEY_REQUIRED | API key is required in Authorization header (Bearer scheme), x-api-key header, or x-goog-api-key header |
| Authorization: Bearer with empty token | 401 | API_KEY_REQUIRED | same required-key message |
| Authorization: Basic … | 401 | API_KEY_REQUIRED | Basic is not accepted; message still asks for Bearer / x-api-key / x-goog-api-key |
| Authorization: Bearer sk-invalid-test-key-not-real | 401 | INVALID_API_KEY | Invalid API key |
| x-api-key: sk-invalid-test | 401 | INVALID_API_KEY | Invalid API key |
| x-goog-api-key: sk-invalid-test | 401 | INVALID_API_KEY | Invalid API key |
| POST /v1/chat/completions without a key | 401 | API_KEY_REQUIRED | same required-key message |
API_KEY_REQUIRED, the key never arrived in an accepted header. If the code is INVALID_API_KEY, a value arrived and failed validation. Do not rotate keys to “fix” a missing header.Reproduce the two failure classes
Run these against the public gateway. Replace nothing with a live secret while diagnosing missing-header cases.
# 1) Missing key → API_KEY_REQUIRED curl -sS -i https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models | sed -n '1,20p' # 2) Wrong auth scheme → still API_KEY_REQUIRED on this gateway curl -sS -i https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models \ -H "Authorization: Basic dGVzdA==" | sed -n '1,20p' # 3) Present but fake key → INVALID_API_KEY curl -sS -i https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models \ -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-invalid-test-key-not-real" | sed -n '1,20p' # 4) Alternate headers also accepted as key carriers (invalid value still 401) curl -sS https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models -H "x-api-key: sk-invalid-test" curl -sS https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models -H "x-goog-api-key: sk-invalid-test"
Accepted key carriers observed in the error text: Authorization: Bearer …, x-api-key, and x-goog-api-key. OpenAI-compatible clients should still prefer Bearer unless a specific client only supports one of the alternates.
Production-anchored case study (August 8, 2026)
The following signals come from a real journalctl -u sub2api --since '24 hours ago' sweep on the gateway host. Numbers are not staged or fabricated. They are the only 401 entries this gateway emitted in the last 24 hours, summed across all client IPs.
| Signal | Value (24h window) |
|---|---|
| Total 401 responses | 84 |
ingress_reject_reason: api_key_required | 60 (71%) |
ingress_reject_reason: invalid_api_key | 24 (29%) |
latency_ms range | 0 to 5 ms (avg 0.24 ms) |
| Distinct paths hit | /v1/models (48), /v1/responses (15), /v1/chat/completions (9), /v1/messages (8), /v1/embeddings (4) |
| Distinct client IPs | 3 (65.49.150.250, 65.49.151.65, 2a02:4780:10:6b04::1) |
| GET vs POST split | 58 GET / 26 POST |
Three log shapes from the same window. The first two are real external traffic. The third is the only internal 401 in the window and is included so readers can recognize it.
# (1) api_key_required — header missing entirely, latency_ms 0 "path": "/v1/models", "method": "GET", "status_code": 401, "latency_ms": 0, "client_ip": "65.49.150.250", "ingress_reject_reason": "api_key_required" # (2) invalid_api_key — header present but value rejected, latency_ms 0 to 5 "path": "/v1/models", "method": "GET", "status_code": 401, "latency_ms": 2, "client_ip": "65.49.150.250", "ingress_reject_reason": "invalid_api_key" # (3) upstream_failover_switching — internal, NOT a client 401 # this is the gateway switching accounts because the upstream returned 401 "path": "/v1/chat/completions", "method": "POST", "model": "gpt-5.6-sol", "account_id": 16, "upstream_status": 401, "switch_count": 1, "max_switches": 10
latency_ms of 0 to 5. That means the gateway rejected the request before it ever called the upstream. If your 401 has latency_ms in the hundreds or thousands, the request reached the upstream and you are looking at a different log shape (see the upstream_failover_switching line above, or the 504 page for the >100ms shapes).Fix checklist in order
- Confirm Base URL is
https://monkeytheme.com/v1(include/v1). - Confirm the header is literally
Authorization: Bearer <key>with one space and no quotes around the key. - If the JSON code is
API_KEY_REQUIRED, fix env var names, shell export, and client fields before creating a new key. - If the code is
INVALID_API_KEY, re-copy the key from the MonkeyAI dashboard, check for trailing whitespace/newlines, and confirm the key belongs to this site. - Retest
GET /v1/models. Only after a model list returns should you restart Codex, Cline, Hermes, or another agent client. - Keep model names exact. A good key plus a nickname model id becomes a different error class.
Client places that commonly drop the key
Shell / curl
Unexported env vars, wrong variable name, or a header written as Bearer: sk-... instead of Authorization: Bearer sk-....
OpenAI SDKs
api_key empty because the process was started before .env loaded. Restart the process after exporting the key.
Codex CLI / coding agents
Profile points at another provider, or env_key names a variable that is unset in that shell.
GUI clients
Base URL missing /v1, key pasted into the model field, or a stale key cached from a previous workspace.
What not to change first
- Do not rewrite pricing, model lists, or upstream accounts because of 401.
- Do not raise timeouts to “fix” 401. Timeouts hide the auth signal.
- Do not switch to another hostname while debugging a MonkeyAI key.
- Do not paste full keys into tickets, screenshots, or group chats.
After auth works
curl -sS https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ***" | head -c 400
Success looks like a JSON model list, not an empty 200 HTML page. Then send one small chat request and only afterwards reconnect long-running agents.
FAQ
Does HTTP 401 mean MonkeyAI is down?
Usually no. On 2026-08-04, missing or invalid credentials returned structured JSON 401 responses from https://monkeytheme.com/v1/models. That is an authentication response, not an outage page.
What is the difference between API_KEY_REQUIRED and INVALID_API_KEY?
API_KEY_REQUIRED means the gateway did not receive a usable key in Authorization Bearer, x-api-key, or x-goog-api-key. INVALID_API_KEY means a key value was present but rejected. Fix the missing header first; only rotate or re-copy the key when you already see INVALID_API_KEY.
Can a key from another product or domain cause 401?
Yes. MonkeyAI keys are for https://monkeytheme.com/v1. A key from another gateway, another brand panel, or a different hostname can fail even if the string looks similar.
Should I paste the full API key into a support ticket or chat?
No. Share only the last four characters, the exact endpoint, UTC timestamp, HTTP status, and the JSON code/message. Revoke the key if it was exposed.
What should I test after the key looks fixed?
Call GET /v1/models first. When that returns a model list, run one small chat completion or client request. Do not jump straight into a long agent session while auth is still uncertain.