## Steps

1. Go to the [AgentMail Console](https://console.agentmail.to/)
2. Sign up or log in
3. Navigate to the **API Keys** section in the left side of the dashboard
4. Click **Create New API Key**
5. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “my-support-agent”)
6. Copy the key immediately and store it securely

Your API key is only shown once when it is created. If you lose it, you will need to create a new one. Never commit API keys to version control or share them publicly.

## Using your API key

Store your API key in an environment variable to keep it out of your source code:

Bash

```
# .env file
AGENTMAIL_API_KEY=am_your_key_here
```

Then initialize the SDK using the environment variable:

TypeScript

```
import { AgentMailClient } from "agentmail";
import "dotenv/config";

const client = new AgentMailClient({
  apiKey: process.env.AGENTMAIL_API_KEY,
});

// Test the connection by creating an inbox
const inbox = await client.inboxes.create();
console.log(`Connected! Created inbox: ${inbox.inboxId}`);
```

## Scoped API keys

In addition to organization-level keys, you can create keys scoped to a single pod or inbox. Scoped keys restrict access so that the key can only operate on resources within that pod or inbox.

- **Pod-scoped keys**: Create via `POST /pods/{pod_id}/api-keys` or `client.pods.api_keys.create()`
- **Inbox-scoped keys**: Create via `POST /inboxes/{inbox_id}/api-keys` or `client.inboxes.api_keys.create()`

See the [Multi-Tenancy guide](/content/docs/multi-tenancy#scoped-api-keys/index.html) for details.

## Free tier

No credit card required to get started. The free tier includes:

| Feature | Limit |
| --- | --- |
| Inboxes | 3 |
| Emails per month | 3,000 |
| Storage | 3 GB |
| API access | Full (REST, WebSockets, webhooks) |
| SDKs | Python and TypeScript |

To create more inboxes or send higher volumes, see the [pricing page](/content/pricing/index.html).