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Secrets are how you give your agent an API key or token for a service that isn’t connected through one-click OAuth. The agent uses it without ever seeing the raw value.

Your agent never sees the secret

The model driving your agent is never trusted with raw credentials, which could otherwise end up in a log, a memory file, or a message. A secret is stored encrypted and lives outside the agent’s reach. A proxy injects it into requests at the network layer. The agent gets the capability without holding the credential. The same principle applies to every connection on Skydive. See Permissioning for the full security model.

When to use a secret

  • A service offers an API key or token but not OAuth
  • You have an internal API the agent should call
  • A tool or MCP server needs a token to authenticate

How it works

You don’t have to set secrets up in advance. When a task calls for one, the agent presents a secure card for you to paste the key into. You can also offer one anytime by telling the agent you want to give it a credential.
1

Add the secret

Paste the key into the secure card and name it, so the agent knows what it’s for.
2

It's stored, not shown

The value is encrypted at rest. The agent can reference it by name and use it, but never reads the plaintext.
3

Used on the wire

When the agent makes a request to that service, a proxy injects the credential into the request. The request authenticates correctly while the secret stays out of prompts and logs.

Managing secrets

Add, update, and remove secrets at any time. Rotate a key by updating its value. The agent picks up the new one on its next request. An agent’s Manage secrets panel supports bulk work. Add several keys at once: paste a whole .env block or import one from a file, and it splits into rows. Copy secrets out as KEY=value lines, or download the whole set as a .env file. Moving a group of credentials between agents is a single step.

Prefer OAuth where you can

One-click connections refresh themselves and are cleaner than manual keys.