Reading your key states — and fixing a rejected key
Every provider key shows a status pill, in the setup screen and in Settings → Credentials.
Two kinds of problem hide behind those pills, and telling them apart saves you the wrong fix. A red "Invalid" means the provider refused the key — it's usually dead. An amber pill means the key itself is fine and the account behind it isn't, and the pill names what to do.
The states, at a glance
| Pill | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Not set | No key connected for this provider yet. | Add the key — see the get-your-key guide for that provider. |
| Verified (green) | The key works and the account is ready. | Nothing. "Last checked" shows when it was confirmed. |
| Invalid (red) | The provider refused the key. Usually it's dead — a typo, a revoked key, or one that was regenerated. | Hit Re-test first. If it stays Invalid, replace it with a fresh key copied from the provider. |
| Free plan — upgrade (amber, Apify) | The key is valid, but the Apify account is on the Free plan. | Upgrade to a paid plan (Starter), then re-test. |
| Account not active (amber, BrightData) | The key is valid, but the BrightData account can't scrape yet — billing isn't activated, or the account is suspended. | Add a payment method and activate billing in BrightData, then re-test. |
| Needs funding (amber, BrightData — setup only) | The key is verified, but the account's funds are under $10. | Make your first deposit (BrightData matches it up to $500), then check again. |
| No credits (amber, Gemini) | The key is valid, but the Gemini account has no usable credits. | Add billing to the key's project and buy credit with auto-reload on, then re-test. |
Amber keeps your key; red doesn't
When an amber pill sits on the row, the key is already stored. Fix the account, hit Re-test, and it clears without pasting anything again.
Red "Invalid" is the opposite: the key was refused, so nothing was stored and it has to be replaced.
Two rejections behave like red even though the note is amber. An Apify key on the Free plan, and a BrightData key with limited permissions, are both refused at the paste and never stored — fix the account, then paste the key again.
"Needs funding" appears only during first-login setup, where an under-funded BrightData account blocks activation. Afterwards, low funds show as a note rather than a state — BrightData funding rules explains why.
YouTube's daily allowance is not a key problem
Google's free YouTube quota can run out for the day. When it does, nothing on this panel changes: your key stays Verified and there's nothing to replace.
A re-test during that window answers "Couldn't check the YouTube key — daily limit used up." and leaves the row exactly as it was. Pasting a new key answers "YouTube key not saved — the daily limit is used up." — your current key is untouched, so paste it again later.
The exact rejection messages
If a key didn't go through, find the message you saw.
BrightData
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid key | A typo, a revoked key, or a regenerated key — setting a key to Admin regenerates it. | Copy the current key from BrightData and paste it again. |
| Key has limited permissions | You pasted the default User-permission key. | In BrightData: Settings → Users and API keys → ⋯ → Edit key configuration → Permissions to Admin, Expiration to Never expires. Copy the new key it shows once, and paste that here. |
| Account not active | A fresh account with billing or the free tier not yet activated, or a BrightData suspension. | In BrightData: activate and add a payment method. If it's a BrightData-locked suspension, contact your BrightData account manager. |
| Needs funding / No funds yet | No first deposit — free credits don't count as production funding. | Add funds; your first deposit is matched up to $500. |
| Payment declined at deposit | BrightData's anti-fraud flagged the payment. | Match the billing details to the card exactly, then one careful retry or PayPal — never hammer retries. See BrightData account troubles. |
Apify
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan — upgrade | A valid key on an Apify Free plan. | Upgrade to a paid plan (Starter), then paste the key again. |
| That key didn't pass its test | A typo or a revoked token. | Copy your personal API token again from Apify — Settings → API & Integrations — and paste it. |
Gemini
| Message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Invalid key | A typo or a revoked key. | Copy the current key from AI Studio → API Keys and paste it again. |
| No credits | Billing was never finished — you stopped before Buy credits — or a pure free-tier key, or prepay credits that ran dry. | In AI Studio, add billing to the key's project, buy credit with auto-reload on, then re-test. |
If a key keeps failing after the right fix, use Request support from the setup screen or Settings — it captures which key is failing so we can help.