Airtable · api · fg-0425
Airtable API returns 401 for an integration that still authenticates with a legacy API key
401 Unauthorized on every request made with a key that starts with key
Verified 2026-10-15 · Confirmed by 0 builders · Trust 50/100
Cause
Airtable finished retiring user API keys on 2024-02-01, and those keys can no longer call the API. The airtable.js option kept the name apiKey, but it now expects a personal access token or an OAuth token.
Fix
Create a personal access token with the scopes and bases the integration needs and put it where the old key was. Use OAuth for integrations that act for other users.
Apply
Airtable.configure({ apiKey: process.env.AIRTABLE_PAT }); // token created at https://airtable.com/create/tokensAffects: Airtable Web API, user API keys, since 2024-02-01; airtable.js 0.12.x
Sources
- https://support.airtable.com/docs/airtable-api-key-deprecation-notice
- https://airtable.com/developers/web/api/authentication
- https://github.com/Airtable/airtable.js
Have your agent know this before it fails
claude mcp add --transport http footgun https://getfootgun.com/api/mcp