Getting Your API Key

Your API key allows you to access the REST and Stream APIs.

Instant API key (for agents)

Get a free-tier API key instantly with a single API call. No signup, no wallet, no human needed:

curl -X POST https://api.opensea.io/api/v2/auth/keys

Response:

{
  "api_key": "a1b2c3d4e5f6...",
  "name": "agent_free_e753a54c",
  "expires_at": "2026-05-14T00:00:00Z",
  "rate_limits": {
    "read": "60/m",
    "write": "5/m",
    "fulfillment": "5/m"
  },
  "upgrade_url": "https://opensea.io/settings/developer"
}

The response also includes rate limit headers: X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, and X-RateLimit-Reset (Unix epoch timestamp).

Use the returned key in the X-API-KEY header on all subsequent requests. Free-tier keys have lower rate limits and expire after 30 days. To get higher rate limits, upgrade to a full API key via the developer portal.

Limits:

3 key creations per hour per IP address
60 requests/min for read endpoints
5 requests/min for write endpoints
Keys expire after 30 days

This is ideal for AI agents, scripts, and quick prototyping. For production applications with higher throughput needs, create a full API key below.

How do I get an API key?

Follow these steps to request an API key. Each account can generate up to three API keys.

On opensea.io, hover over the left-hand sidebar and click Settings then Developer.
If you haven't verified your email yet, click Go to Profile to add and verify your email. Anonymous email addresses are not supported at this time.

After verifying your email address, navigate back to the Developer section and click Get access.

Fill out your Organization Name, Website, and Intended use of the OpenSea API.

Click Submit.
Fill out the Recaptcha.
You’ll be directed back to the Developer section in your Account settings. Click Create key.
Name your key and click Create.

You’ll be able to see your API key and the key’s expiration date. To use your API key, include it in the headers of your request in the X-API-KEY field.

If you can access the Developer tab, and after going through the flow you still see a message stating you cannot access the developer hub at this time, you can file a support ticket.

Rate limits

We put rate limits in place to protect our platform and improve the availability of our API. If you've hit rate limits when fetching marketplace data, we recommend checking your call patterns and using the Stream API and V2 endpoints to make fewer calls.

OpenSea uses a token bucket algorithm. Your API key has a bucket of request tokens that refills over a fixed time window. Each request consumes one token. When the bucket is empty, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests until tokens replenish. This allows short bursts up to your bucket capacity, but your sustained rate must stay within the refill rate.

All API keys under the same account share a single rate limit bucket. Creating multiple API keys will not increase your overall rate limit.

All authenticated API responses include the following rate limit headers:

Header	Description
`X-RateLimit-Limit`	Maximum requests allowed in the current time window
`X-RateLimit-Remaining`	Requests remaining in the current window
`X-RateLimit-Reset`	Unix epoch timestamp (seconds) when the current rate limit window resets

Additionally, 429 Too Many Requests responses include a Retry-After header indicating how many seconds to wait before retrying.

When you hit a rate limit, wait for the duration specified in Retry-After before retrying. To avoid rate limits, space out your requests, cache responses, and consider using the Stream API for real-time data instead of polling.

Select users are eligible for a rate limit increase. You can apply for a rate limit increase using this form.

Existing API Keys

If you already have an API key, it won’t show in the Developer section of your profile, but it will function as normal until further notice.

Expiring Keys

If your API key is expiring soon, we recommend applying for a new key, replacing your old key before it expires, and deleting the previous one.

More information

For product updates to the OpenSea API you can check our Changelog or follow us on X: https://x.com/openseadevs

If you have questions that aren’t answered in our developer docs, you can join our Discord and post in the #dev-support channel.