# Revoking an API key

Canonical page: /glossary/revoke-api-key

API keys & secrets glossary, Keys & secrets. How to Revoke an API Key, and When You Should

**Short answer:** Revoking an API key permanently disables it from the provider's side, usually from the same console page where the key was created. It is the correct response to a suspected leak, since changing where the key is stored does nothing if the value itself is already exposed.

## Why it matters

After revoking a key, any tool or project still configured with the old value will start failing, so generate and update the replacement before or immediately after revoking, depending on how much downtime you can tolerate.

## In Claude Keychain

If you delete a secret from Claude Keychain, it removes the value from both the macOS Keychain and its local index, and verifies the removal, rather than just hiding it from the list, but that only clears it locally. Revoking the key with the provider is still a separate, necessary step.

## Common questions

**Does deleting a key from Claude Keychain revoke it?**

No. Deleting it from Claude Keychain removes your local copy. You still need to revoke it with the service that issued it.

**How fast does a revoked key stop working?**

Usually immediately or within a few minutes, depending on the provider's caching.

## Related

[API key rotation](/glossary/api-key-rotation), [API key](/glossary/api-key), [Hardcoded secret](/glossary/hardcoded-secret)