An API key lets other applications connect to your Crelate account, and admins control who can have one. API access is available on Business and higher subscriptions. For developer documentation, visit the Crelate API documentation page.
How do you turn on API access for non-admin users?
API access is always available to admins. For non-admins, an admin must allow API Access in their User Role, which lets users in that role request and use API keys. API Access is turned off by default.
Go to Security, then select User Roles.
Select the User Role you want to update.
In the Misc section, set API Access to Allowed.
Select Save.
API Access is separate from MCP Access. An admin can allow one without the other. See the section on connecting AI clients below.
How do you turn off API access for a User Role?
Set API Access to No for the role and select Save. Users with that role no longer see API Access in their settings and cannot use the API. Existing connections that use their keys also stop working.
How do you get an API key?
Once API access is allowed for your User Role, you can generate your own API key from Your Profile & Preferences.
Open the navigation menu and select Your Profile & Preferences.
Go to the API Access section.
Turn on the Enable API Access switch. The first time you turn it on, Crelate generates your API key automatically.
Do all users use the same API key?
No. Each user generates their own API key in Your Profile & Preferences, and every user’s key is different.
Your organization can still use a single API key for all of its connections. In that case, one user sets up the connections with their own key, and the connections exist under that user’s account. Do not share that key with other users.
Users can also set up their own connections with their own keys. Because each key is linked to one user, admins can see which user is making which calls. For example, one user can connect Salesforce with their own key, and another user can connect HubSpot with a different key.
If a user regenerates their key or turns API access off, or if an admin clears the key, every connection that uses that key stops working. This matters most when one user’s key powers all of the organization’s connections.
How do you regenerate an API key?
Select Regenerate New Key in the API Access section to replace your current key. Regenerating is the only way to create a new key after your first one. The old key no longer works, so any connection that uses it stops working. After you regenerate your key, update every connection with the new key.
💡 Pro Tip: Before you regenerate your key, list every connection that uses it, such as Zapier or other integrations. Each one must be updated with the new key, or it will stop working.
What happens when you turn off your API access?
Existing connections that use your key stop working until you turn API access back on. Turning API access off does not change your key. When you turn it back on, the same key is active again, and your connections work again without any updates.
Open the navigation menu and select Your Profile & Preferences.
Go to the API Access section.
Turn off the Enable API Access switch.
In the Toggle API Access window, select Yes to confirm. The window warns that existing integrations will fail.
To turn API access back on, turn on the Enable API Access switch again.
How do admins manage API access?
Admins can see every user with API access and turn off any user’s key from API Access in Security.
Go to Security, then select API Access.
In the Users with API Access list, select a user. The user’s masked API key appears in the Api Key field.
Click Clear API Key to turn off that user’s API access.
Clearing a key causes any connection that uses it to stop working. If the user needs API access again, they must generate a new key.
💡 Pro Tip: Before you clear a user’s API key, check the Webhooks section for Zapier triggers registered to that user. Clearing the key stops those triggers from working.
How do admins view and manage webhooks?
The Webhooks section on the API Access page lists every webhook in your organization, including webhooks an admin added and triggers that Zapier registered. Select a user in the Users with API Access list to see only that user’s webhooks. The list shows the following details.
Column | What it shows |
Name | The name of the webhook. |
Entity Type | The record type that triggers the webhook: Contacts, Companies, or Jobs. |
Operation Type | The operation that triggers the webhook: Create, Update, or Delete. |
Status | Whether the webhook is On or Off. A webhook that is Off does not send information when triggered. |
Url | Where Crelate sends information. |
To manage a webhook, select its row and use the icons next to Webhooks.
Turn a webhook on or off: Select Activate/Deactivate the selected webhook.
View details: Double-click the row. The details are read-only, so to change a webhook, delete it and add a new one.
Delete a webhook: Select Delete the selected webhook, then confirm. You cannot undo this.
Webhooks are available on Business Plus and Enterprise plans, and only an admin can add one. For setup steps, see Configuring Webhooks.
What is the default page size for API list requests?
On Business Plus and higher subscriptions, API v3 list endpoints return 100 records per request by default, and you can request up to 200 records in a single call. Larger pages mean large scans need about half as many calls.
If your integration already sets a limit, nothing changes for you. If it relies on the previous default of 50 records, review it, for example, if it steps through results 50 at a time or treats a 50-record page as the last page. Set the limit value explicitly to keep the behavior you want.
For the full details for developers, see MCP and API Improvements - Fall 2026.
💡 Pro Tip: Always set limit in your requests instead of relying on the default. Pass limit=50 to keep the previous page size, or up to limit=200 to retrieve large result sets in fewer calls.
Can you connect AI clients without an API key?
Yes, if your organization has MCP enabled. You can connect AI clients such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Gemini Enterprise to Crelate with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) instead of an API key.
You connect by signing in with your Crelate credentials from your AI client, so there is no key to generate, copy, or paste. New MCP keys can no longer be created. If you created a personal MCP access key earlier, you can still view and revoke it.
AI / MCP Access has its own page in Your Profile & Preferences, separate from API Access. To open it, navigate to Your Profile & Preferences and select AI / MCP Access under Personal Settings.
Admins grant MCP access separately from API access by setting the MCP Access privilege on a User Role. A user can have API Access without MCP Access, and the reverse.
Note: AI / MCP Access is available only to organizations that have MCP enabled. It is currently a beta feature.
For connection steps, see Setting Up Your Crelate MCP Connection. If you cannot connect, see Why Am I Unable to Connect to or Use Crelate MCP? Access and Troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting
Why did my integration stop working?
The most likely causes are that the key was regenerated, API access was turned off for the user or the User Role, or an admin cleared the key. Check Your Profile & Preferences, then API Access, and update each connection with the current key.
Why do my requests return more records than before?
On Business Plus and higher subscriptions, the default page size is 100 records. Set limit=50 in your requests to keep the previous page size.
Why can I not see API Access in my settings?
Your User Role may have API Access set to No. Ask an admin to set it to Allowed. Your subscription must also be Business or higher.
Why can I not see AI / MCP Access in Your Profile & Preferences?
MCP is either not enabled for your organization or your User Role does not have the MCP Access privilege. This page is separate from API Access. For the steps to fix it, see Why Am I Unable to Connect to or Use Crelate MCP? Access and Troubleshooting.
Why did my Zapier triggers stop after an admin cleared a key?
Zapier triggers are registered to the user whose key was cleared. When the key is cleared, those triggers stop working. The user must generate a new key and reconnect the triggers.
Why can a user connect an AI client but not use the API, or the reverse?
API Access and MCP Access are separate privileges. An admin can allow one without the other in the User Role.
What to share if it still does not work: the name of the integration, the user whose key it uses, a screenshot of the API Access section with the key hidden, the exact error message, and the time it began. Do not share your full API key.
Key takeaway
Admins control API access through the API Access setting on each User Role, and each user generates their own key in Your Profile & Preferences. Regenerating, turning off, or clearing a key stops every connection that uses it. API v3 list requests return 100 records by default on Business Plus and higher subscriptions, and allow up to 200, so set limit in your requests. AI clients connect through MCP by signing in, and AI / MCP Access is a separate page in Your Profile & Preferences, with access granted separately from API access.