Skip to main content
These three things solve different problems and should not be conflated.

​
API Keys

API keys authenticate calls to the TerminalUse API from your app, backend, or automation. Use API keys when you want to:
  • create tasks
  • manage agents, filesystems, and projects
  • call the SDK from your application
See API Keys.

​
Webhook Keys

Webhook keys are for verifying inbound webhook delivery from TerminalUse. The CLI surface for these is tu keys, and it manages webhook keys specifically, not general API auth keys. See List Webhook Keys.

​
Environment Secrets

Environment secrets are runtime environment variables attached to an agent environment such as production or preview. Use them for:
  • provider credentials
  • database URLs
  • external service tokens
Manage them with tu env add, tu env ls, tu env get, tu env rm, tu env pull, and tu env import.

​
The Important Distinction

SurfaceUsed for
API keyCalling TerminalUse APIs
Webhook keyVerifying TerminalUse webhooks
Environment secretSupplying runtime config to deployed agents