> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.blockdb.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Runbook · API Authentication Failures

> Step-by-step recovery for 401/403 and API key access issues.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Verify Authorization header">
    Ensure requests include <code>Authorization: Bearer \<API\_KEY></code> and no stray whitespace or quotes around the key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check key and entitlements">
    Confirm the key is not revoked, copied fully from [dashboard.blockdb.io](https://dashboard.blockdb.io), and that your plan includes the datasets and chains you are calling. Create a new key or rotate if unsure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test with minimal cURL">
    <RequestExample>
      ```bash cURL theme={null}
      curl -i -X POST "https://api.blockdb.io/v1/evm/raw/blocks" \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer $BLOCKDB_API_KEY" \
        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
        -d '{"chain_id":1,"from_block":1,"to_block":2}'
      ```
    </RequestExample>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Escalate with context">
    Share timestamp (UTC), <code>request\_id</code>, and a minimal reproduction to <a href="mailto:support@blockdb.io">support</a>.
  </Step>
</Steps>