paperclipai/paperclip · error · Error

No credential found. Set

Error message

No credential found. Set ${sourceEnvName}, pass --api-key-env <variable>, or pass --api-key <value>.

What it means

After resolving the credential source environment variable (either --api-key-env or the app definition's credentialTarget), resolveTestDriveBootstrap checks that a non-empty credential is available. This error means no API key value could be found in the environment or on the command line for the test drive.

Solutions

1. Export the expected variable, e.g. export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=<your-key>
2. Pass the key inline with --api-key <value> (avoid in shared shells/logs)
3. Point at a set variable with --api-key-env <VAR_NAME>
4. Check `echo $<sourceEnvName>` to confirm the variable is set and non-empty in the same shell

Example fix

// before
paperclip test-drive someapp   # OPENROUTER_API_KEY unset
// after
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...
paperclip test-drive someapp

const envName = apiKeyEnv?.trim() ?? 'OPENROUTER_API_KEY';
if (!process.env[envName]?.trim() && !apiKey) {
  throw new Error(`Set ${envName} or pass --api-key before running test-drive`);
}

function hasCredential(name: string): boolean {
  return typeof process.env[name] === 'string' && process.env[name]!.trim().length > 0;
}

try {
  await runTestDrive(opts);
} catch (e) {
  if (String(e.message).startsWith('No credential found')) {
    console.error(`Export ${envName} or pass --api-key`);
    process.exit(1);
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Running test-drive when the resolved env var (e.g. the app's credentialTarget like OPENROUTER_API_KEY) is unset or empty, and neither --api-key-env pointing to a set variable nor --api-key <value> was supplied.

Common situations: Fresh machine or CI runner where the credential env var was never exported; variable exported in one shell but not the subshell running the CLI; typo'd variable name so env[sourceEnvName] is undefined.

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-env must name a valid environment variable.
• CreateOS requires an API key in the environment config or…
• GITHUB_TOKEN with Actions read access is required.
• Missing login
• A safe, unique --revision is required

AI-assisted analysis of paperclipai/paperclip@01ad858492 (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d875446074f3a195. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at cli/src/commands/test-drive.ts:261

  if (model !== undefined && (!model || model.trim() !== model)) {
    throw new Error("--model cannot be empty or have surrounding whitespace.");
  }
  if (
    harness === "opencode" &&
    (!model || !/^openrouter\/[^/\s]+(?:\/[^/\s]+)*$/.test(model))
  ) {
    throw new Error(
      "OpenCode test drives require --model openrouter/<model>, with no empty path segments.",
    );
  }

  const sourceEnvName = options.apiKeyEnv?.trim() || definition.credentialTarget;
  if (options.apiKeyEnv !== undefined && !/^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$/.test(sourceEnvName)) {
    throw new Error("--api-key-env must name a valid environment variable.");
  }
  const credential = options.apiKey ?? env[sourceEnvName];
  if (!credential || credential.trim().length === 0) {
    throw new Error(
      `No credential found. Set ${sourceEnvName}, pass --api-key-env <variable>, or pass --api-key <value>.`,
    );
  }

  return {
    ...definition,
    companyName,
    agentName,
    ...(model ? { model } : {}),
    credential,
    credentialSource: options.apiKey !== undefined ? "--api-key" : sourceEnvName,
  };
}

function worktreeExecutionArmed(
  settings: InstanceExperimentalSettings,
  instanceId: string,
): boolean {

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