scw: invalid access key (Scaleway credentials revoked or wrong)

Not specified by the original author.

Your Scaleway access key pair is invalid or revoked. Generate a new access key and secret key in the Scaleway console (Credentials), then run scw init again and enter the fresh pair. The stored credentials are dead.

$ scw instance server list
invalid access key

Fix

1. In the Scaleway console, go to Credentials and create a new API key pair. Copy the access key and the secret key (the secret shows once).

2. Re-initialize:

   scw init

   Enter the new access key and secret key when prompted. Expected: init completes and writes the profile.

3. Verify:

   scw instance server list

   Expected: your servers list.

4. Delete the old key pair in the console.

When this applies

• Every scw command fails with an authentication error.
• The key was deleted, regenerated, or pasted with damage.

When it does NOT apply

• no default zone style errors: the credentials work, a setting is missing.
• 403 on specific resources: the key is valid but the IAM permissions are too narrow.
• First setup: complete scw init normally.

Compatibility

• scaleway-cli (scw) v2.

Why it happens

scw stores a static copy of the key pair in the profile. Deleting or regenerating the pair in the console invalidates the stored copy server-side; the CLI keeps sending it and failing. There is no refresh flow for these credentials.

Edge cases

• The secret key is shown only at creation; if you lost it, create a new pair rather than hunting for the old secret.
• Env-var auth (SCW_ACCESS_KEY / SCW_SECRET_KEY) overrides the profile; update the right one.
• Keep the secret out of shell history; use scw init's interactive prompt rather than flags in shared terminals.

The scaleway-cli project (iamleot/scaleway-cli on GitHub, 'Command-line tool to control Scaleway') uses 'scw init' as its documented setup flow, which stores the access key and secret key in a profile. Scaleway access keys can be deleted or regenerated in the console, invalidating the stored pair, and every subsequent API call fails authentication. Re-running 'scw init' (or editing the profile) with the fresh pair is the documented recovery; the CLI has no key-refresh protocol. Source: https://github.com/iamleot/scaleway-cli