> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.nativeport.ai/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.nativeport.ai/_mcp/server.

# Authentication

The gateway takes exactly one credential: your **API key**, presented as a bearer token. That token unlocks the entire catalog — no per-provider sign-ups, and no provider keys for you to store or rotate. Upstream credentials are the gateway's responsibility; you never send one yourself (anything you do send is replaced before forwarding).

Attach the header to each request:

```
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```

## Example

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.nativeport.ai/serper" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"q": "apple inc"}'
```

Requests carrying an absent or unrecognized key answer **`401 Unauthorized`**.

An API key is a password with a different name — whoever holds it spends on your account. Keep it in an environment variable or a secret manager, out of client-side bundles, and out of version control.