AutoGPT: OpenAI AuthenticationError: Incorrect API key provided

I am a novice, and this is what worked for me. I used ChatGPT4 and got this list of troubleshooting steps. I had an incorrect API key in my environment variables:

Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Double-check your API key: Visit https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys to ensure that you are using the correct API key. Make sure there are no extra spaces or characters when copying the key.

2. Verify the API key configuration: Ensure that your API key is properly set in your application's configuration or environment variables. If you are using an environment variable, make sure it is correctly set and accessed in your code.

3. Check the API key's permissions: Some API keys may have restricted access or usage limits. Ensure that the key you are using has the necessary permissions and has not exceeded any usage limits.

4. Update your dependencies: It is possible that an outdated package or library could cause issues. Make sure you are using the latest version of the OpenAI library and any other relevant dependencies.

5. Test your API key with a simple example: To confirm that your API key is working correctly, you can test it using a minimal example or by running a simple script that calls the OpenAI API.

Thanks for the ChatGPT-generated response that isn’t helpful at all.

I am a novice, and this is what worked for me. I used ChatGPT4 and got this list of troubleshooting steps. I had an incorrect API key in my environment variables:

Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Double-check your API key: Visit https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys to ensure that you are using the correct API key. Make sure there are no extra spaces or characters when copying the key.

2. Verify the API key configuration: Ensure that your API key is properly set in your application’s configuration or environment variables. If you are using an environment variable, make sure it is correctly set and accessed in your code.

3. Check the API key’s permissions: Some API keys may have restricted access or usage limits. Ensure that the key you are using has the necessary permissions and has not exceeded any usage limits.

4. Update your dependencies: It is possible that an outdated package or library could cause issues. Make sure you are using the latest version of the OpenAI library and any other relevant dependencies.

5. Test your API key with a simple example: To confirm that your API key is working correctly, you can test it using a minimal example or by running a simple script that calls the OpenAI API.

I have both paid plans set up and I’m still receiving this error as well

@Faisalnd I just resolved this by running Auto-GPT in a new CMD window. Before this, I was trying to run it in the same CMD session I installed it in.

That didnt work for me.

@baeol Oh, nice! That worked for me as well. I had an old key saved as an environment variable and Auto-GPT was using that instead. That explains why Auto-GPT worked inside the Docker container.

@Faisalnd and @cyberepictetus - I had an old api key that I had since deleted save in my system environment on my Mac. AutoGPT was trying to use that, not the one I had saved in my .env file. You’ll have to remove it from your system before your AutoGPT will work.

I used ChatGPT4 to solve the issue by giving it the error I received in the terminal and using this prompt:

paste error message here

I made sure I am using the correct API key in the .env file for this project. Is it possible there is another API key saved in my system environment? How do I remove it?

It gave me clear instructions on how to test if I had one saved and how to remove it. My AutoGPT now works perfectly.

may be obvious but remember to remove the quotes, as in %env OPENAI_API_KEY2=sk… if you do it from Jupyter

Is there some way we could be improving AutoGPT to prevent this mixup?

Maybe if there is a key in the environment, and it differs from the key in the .env file, we could flag a mismatch…

@baeol, your solution worked for me too ! The API key I was using from my system environment was outdated. Once I changed it to the new one, the AuthenticationError disappeared.

@Faisalnd I just resolved this by running Auto-GPT in a new CMD window. Before this, I was trying to run it in the same CMD session I installed it in.

Possibly have you not set up billing for platform.openai.com? They will give you a nonfunctioning API key if you haven’t setup billing. And platform.openai.com is a separate billing system than chat.openai.com if you’re already paying for that.

Thank you for your suggestion. However, I am currently using an API key from the OpenAI platform, and it’s working perfectly fine with AgentGPT. I have no issues with the API and have confirmed that the billing is set up properly. The API key I’m using was generated from the platform, and I have verified that it is the correct one. Thank you for your help