Quick start

Get up and running with ApiVault in a few minutes — create an account, store your first secret, and connect the CLI or an MCP client.

1. Create an account

   Sign up at /auth/register with Google or email and password. After registration you can optionally set up two-factor authentication and passkeys from Settings → Security & MFA.

2. Add your first API key

   Open the dashboard and click Add Key. Fill in:

   • Name — becomes the environment variable name (e.g. STRIPE_SECRET)
   • Service — label like Stripe, OpenAI, or Custom
   • Environment — Production, Staging, Development, etc.
   • Secret value — the raw API key

   Keys are encrypted at rest. If you use custom encryption mode, you will need your vault passphrase for decrypt operations — see Security → Encryption.

3. Install and connect the CLI

   Choose your preferred installation method:

   npm

   Shell

   npm install -g apivault

   Sign in via browser approval — no password in the terminal:

   AuthenticateShell

   apivault login
   apivault whoami
   apivault keys list

   The CLI opens your browser to an Approve / Refuse page. If you are already signed in, approve immediately. The token is saved to ~/.apivault/token.json (Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.apivault\).

4. Run your app with secrets

   Inject all keys for an environment directly into a child process — no .env file needed:

   Secret injectionShell

   apivault run --env Production -- npm start

   Each key's name becomes an environment variable in the child process. Local dotenv files are temporarily hidden while the command runs.

   Read the run command reference
5. Connect MCP in Cursor

   Add the remote MCP server to your Cursor MCP config. OAuth runs on first connect:

   Cursor mcp.jsonJSON

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "apivault": {
         "url": "https://api-vault-opal.vercel.app/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

   On first use, Cursor opens a browser for OAuth approval. Select the scopes your agent needs (read, write, reveal) and approve. Manage active connections in Settings → MCP Connections.

   Read the MCP integration guide