eyaltoledano/claude-task-master · error · Error

${this.name} API key is required

Error message

${this.name} API key is required

What it means

validateAuth throws when the provider is configured with requiresApiKey=true (the default) and no API key is present in params.apiKey. It interpolates the provider's name so you know which provider's credentials are missing.

Source

Thrown at src/ai-providers/openai-compatible.js:64

	getRequiredApiKeyName() {
		return this.apiKeyEnvVar;
	}

	/**
	 * Returns whether this provider requires an API key.
	 * @returns {boolean} True if API key is required
	 */
	isRequiredApiKey() {
		return this.requiresApiKey;
	}

	/**
	 * Override auth validation based on requiresApiKey setting
	 * @param {object} params - Parameters to validate
	 */
	validateAuth(params) {
		if (this.requiresApiKey && !params.apiKey) {
			throw new Error(`${this.name} API key is required`);
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Determines the base URL to use for the API.
	 * @param {object} params - Client parameters
	 * @returns {string|undefined} The base URL to use
	 */
	getBaseURL(params) {
		// If custom baseURL provided in params, use it
		if (params.baseURL) {
			return params.baseURL;
		}

		// If provider has a custom getBaseURL function, use it
		if (this.getBaseURLFromParams) {
			return this.getBaseURLFromParams(params);
		}

View on GitHub (pinned to c0c98d367c)

Solutions

1. Set the API key in the environment variable specified by the provider's apiKeyEnvVar config.
2. Ensure your .env file is loaded (dotenv config) before creating the client.
3. Pass apiKey explicitly in the params if not relying on env vars.
4. If the provider needs no key, set requiresApiKey: false in the provider config.

Example fix

// before
// MY_PROVIDER_KEY=  (empty)
// after
// echo 'export MY_PROVIDER_KEY=sk-...' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

function assertApiKey(provider, params = {}) {
  if (provider.requiresApiKey !== false && !params.apiKey) {
    const key = process.env[provider.apiKeyEnvVar];
    if (!key) throw new Error(`Set ${provider.apiKeyEnvVar} before calling ${provider.name}`);
    return { ...params, apiKey: key };
  }
  return params;
}

function hasApiKey(p) {
  return typeof p === 'object' && p !== null && typeof p.apiKey === 'string' && p.apiKey.length > 0;
}

try {
  await provider.validateAuth(params);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.endsWith('API key is required')) {
    console.error(`Missing key: export ${provider.apiKeyEnvVar}=<your key>`);
    process.exitCode = 1;
    return;
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling an API method (via getClient/validateAuth) without an apiKey param while the provider config does not set requiresApiKey: false.

Common situations: Environment variable named in apiKeyEnvVar is unset, .env file not loaded, key set under a different variable name, or provider genuinely needs no key but config didn't set requiresApiKey:false.

Understand the failure class

Background: "API key is required" / "API key not found" / "No API key was set": the missing-api-key error family across 16 libraries — this error's family across 16 libraries.

Related errors

• API key environment variable name is required
• Grok CLI API key not found. Set GROK_CLI_API_KEY environment
• Required API key ${envVarName} for provider '${providerName}
• ${lastCleanErrorMessage}
• Base URL is required for OpenAI-compatible providers. Please

AI-assisted analysis of eyaltoledano/claude-task-master@c0c98d367c (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/477acf3520f37b7e. Report an issue: GitHub.