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for-producers

What happens to my credentials?

Your API keys are encrypted in the Secure Vault. We never see them — only a secure reference.

Written By Philippe

Last updated 3 days ago

How it works

💡 Note:TL;DR: Safe, Encrypted, and InvisibleYour API keys (like OpenAI) are stored in an encrypted Secure Vault. During a workflow run, we simply pass a reference to the vault. The platform, the Builder, and the execution engine never see or have access to your actual plaintext keys.

When you connect an API like OpenAI, your key is stored in the Secure Vault with encryption at rest and in transit. During execution, the vault injects your credential into the API call — we never see your actual key.

This holds for every credential type, and it is a guarantee we removed our own ability to break: we will never add a node that needs your password inside the engine. A step that could only work that way, such as a direct database login, is not offered, and the vault-injected HTTP route is the supported path instead.

Basic and Bearer credentials. A credential also carries the hosts it may reach, its allowed domains. If you saved a Basic or Bearer credential before allowed domains existed, open it and save it again with its allowed domains. Until you do, a call that uses it fails with "No allowed domains specified". A credential only reaches its own host.

How credentials are used:

  1. Your Key (sk-...) → Secure Vault (Encrypted at rest)
  2. Injection happens at execution time only
  3. API Provider receives the authenticated request

The resolution chain

Credentials resolve through a 3-tier priority system: when the Builder set a key for a credential, that key runs and its cost multiplier applies; your own key (BYOK) is used when the Builder set none; platform defaults when neither did. Each node resolves independently, and credentials are isolated per workflow. See the Credentials System Deep Dive for the full resolution flow, per-node examples, and isolation model.

BYOK (Bring Your Own Keys)

When you provide your own API keys, you're using BYOK mode:

BenefitDescription
🔑 You control rate limitsDirect access to the API
💰 You control costsAPI costs billed separately, not included in workflow pricing
🔒 Maximum privacyBuilder never sees your keys

Security guarantees

The Secure Vault provides:

GuaranteeDescription
🔒 Encryption at restCredentials encrypted while stored
🔐 Encrypted transitTLS 1.3 for all communications
🛡️ Isolated sandboxNo cross-contamination between workflows
🚫 No plaintext exposureCredentials never exposed outside execution

Malicious workflows can't steal API keys because:

  • The execution sandbox has no access to raw credentials
  • Only encrypted references are stored
  • Per-workflow isolation prevents cross-contamination

Bottom line

Your API keys stay yours. We built the system so we couldn't access them even if we wanted to.

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