## TL;DR
Voiceflow checks the key against the project and workspace on every call. 'Invalid api key' means the string is wrong, the key was revoked, or it's a key for a different project. Keys are project-scoped, so a key copied from another project fails here even though it's a perfectly good key. Regenerate in the right project and update every caller.

## The query

```text
voiceflow 'invalid api key' project error
```

## Use this when

- Voiceflow API calls fail with 'invalid api key'
- A key stops working after a team or workspace change
- The key works in the dashboard but fails in code


## Not for

- Voiceflow rate limit errors
- Dialog management API errors
- Voiceflow widget not loading on the site


## Steps

### 1. Regenerate the key in the correct project

Open the Voiceflow project you're actually calling, go to its integration or API settings, and generate a fresh key there. Keys are per project; the dashboard shows many projects and it's easy to copy from the wrong one.

Expected output: a fresh key generated inside the target project.

### 2. Verify the project id matches

Compare the project id in your API calls against the project where the key was made. A key from project A sent to project B's endpoints fails. This is the most common cause after workspace reorganizations.

Expected output: the project id in code matching the project that issued the key.

### 3. Update every place the old key lives

Search for the old key across env files, CI secrets, and deployed configs. A partial rotation leaves one caller on the dead key and the error persists 'randomly'. Rotate in one pass.

Expected output: zero remaining references to the old key anywhere.

### 4. Confirm workspace access for the key owner

If the key belongs to a team member who lost workspace access, the key dies with it. Use a service-owned key or transfer ownership so team churn can't break production.

Expected output: the key owned by a stable service identity, not a departing teammate.

## Variant phrasings

### voiceflow api key not working

Steps 1 and 2: right project first, right key second.

### voiceflow 401 unauthorized api

Step 4 if the key is fresh and still fails: the owner's access changed.

## Why it happens

Voiceflow keys are tied to both a project and the user who created them, so team changes break them in ways that look like key corruption. Someone leaves, their workspace access is removed, and the integration they set up starts failing with an error that says nothing about the real cause.

## Edge cases

- Test and production projects need separate keys. Don't promote a key across environments.
- Voiceflow's key formats have changed over versions. If docs show a different shape, you're reading the wrong docs.
- Log key fingerprints (first and last few chars), never full keys, when debugging.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Hvq5BjPujeGPJlSmFdJkmg