> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.proficientai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication

> Use Bearer Authentication scheme

The Admin API uses secret API keys for authentication. All API requests must contain an `Authorization` header,
containing your secret key in the format specified by the [Bearer Authentication](https://swagger.io/docs/specification/authentication/bearer-authentication/)
scheme:

```bash theme={null}
Authorization: Bearer <PROFICIENT_SECRET_KEY>
```

<Info>
  You can create and delete secret keys in [Project
  Settings](https://proficientai.com/project-settings). Secret keys are strings
  that start with `sk_`.
</Info>

<Warning>
  Never expose your project's secret keys in the frontend (e.g. browser or
  mobile apps). You should store your secret keys securely in your environment
  secrets and never commit them to version control.
</Warning>

## Headers

<ParamField query="Authorization" type="string" required>
  A string containing your secret key in the following format: `Bearer <PROFICIENT_SECRET_KEY>`
</ParamField>

Here is an example cURL request that deactivates an agent:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl --request POST \
    --url https://api.proficientai.com/agents/ag_Lad8YCGGiDLiqIZPWRXmc2ix/deactivate \
    --header 'Authorization sk_cpB2oJbsXg9XWPOKs5CFGp7n4FKZJO2cb4s1te61mqT9tgmupOp0kFqJWtAAPjK6xAS2tOp2'
  ```
</CodeGroup>