Overview
API keys provide secure programmatic access to the GDELT Cloud Developer API — the/api/v2/* surface: Events, Stories, Entities, Situations, country context, publication activity, summaries, geo discovery, and cursor pagination.
API keys require API access on the active organization. Keys are scoped to the organization that creates them.
A new account starts a 7-day evaluation with 1,000 QU and REST API and MCP access (one
7-day extension on request). When it ends, a Free account keeps signed-in browsing with 50 QU a
month; API keys, OAuth, the MCP server, Monitor execution and exports pause until you subscribe, and
a key answers
403 PROGRAMMATIC_ACCESS_DENIED (errors). Every Free account can
claim a one-time 500 QU grant, valid 7 days from activation, announced by email.meta.query_window, separately from the available history in meta.coverage. See each endpoint’s parameter reference for defaults and limits.
Generating an API Key
1
Navigate to API Keys
Switch to the workspace the key should belong to, then go to gdeltcloud.com/api-keys.
2
Create a new key
Click Create New Key and give it a descriptive name (e.g. “Production”, “Dev Environment”).
3
Copy your key immediately
Keys use the format:
gdelt_sk_<64-hex-chars>Example: gdelt_sk_a1b2c3d4... (64 hex characters after the prefix)4
Store securely
Use environment variables or a secrets manager. Never commit keys to version control.
Using Your API Key
Include the key as a Bearer token in theAuthorization header:
story_category; on Stories,
category filters the linked Events and can exclude Stories with no Event.
pagination.next_cursor unchanged until it is null.
Then start the next date chunk without a cursor. Use the endpoint’s documented maximum number of
inclusive days; a calendar month can exceed it. Oversized-window errors include coverage and a
suggested valid window.
v1 is retired. Every
/api/v1/* path returns 410 Gone naming its v2 replacement — in the
error message, in details.replacement, and in an RFC 8594 Link header — so a client that still
calls one gets told where to go rather than a silent failure. /api/v2/events?event_family=conflict and
?event_family=cameoplus are strict supersets of the two event routes: same events, stable ids, a
documented cursor, and the metric fields v1 never exposed.Metering
Every REST and MCP data call consumes Query Units against your account’s allowance. Discovery calls (/api/v2/meta/*, and the MCP _tool_list / _tool_get tools) are not metered. Briefs meter
separately and never draw down Query Units.
Responses carry your current usage in headers, and the API tells you when a limit binds rather than
degrading quietly — every metering and entitlement error, with its code and what to do about it, is
in the error reference.
Revoking a Key
Go to gdeltcloud.com/api-keys, find the key, and click Revoke. Revoked keys return HTTP401 immediately.
You can generate multiple API keys, such as one per environment. Each key consumes the quota of its organization. Owners and admins can review and export organization usage by feature, member, and API key.

