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

# E-CLOUD-001

> VENDO_API_KEY is set but not usable.

# E-CLOUD-001

<Warning>
  **what doctor prints** (warning)

  VENDO\_API\_KEY is set but not usable: malformed
</Warning>

`VENDO_API_KEY` is present in the environment, but it does not look like a
real Vendo Cloud key.

`check cloud/key` · `error_code E-CLOUD-001` · `doctor exits 0` (warning only)

## What you're seeing

Doctor checks the shape of `VENDO_API_KEY` locally: it expects the `vnd_`
prefix followed by 40 hex characters. This is a shape check only, doctor
never validates a key against a server.

## Why

A key that is well-formed but revoked, expired, or from a different project
passes this check and only surfaces on the first real Cloud service call
(the model gateway, the hosted store, the Cloud sandbox, the Cloud broker).
This check exists to catch the earlier, simpler failure: a copy-paste error,
a truncated value, a placeholder that never got replaced.

## The fix

Re-copy the key from the Vendo Cloud console's keys page, in case the value
was truncated or mistyped. Or mint a fresh one:

```bash theme={null}
vendo login
```

Your human approves a device code in the browser (non-interactive runs print
the URL and code to approve instead), and the minted key lands in
`.env.local`. Re-run doctor, then restart your dev server so the app picks
up the key.

## Related errors

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="E-TURN-001" href="/production/troubleshooting/e-turn-001">live model turn did not answer</Card>
  <Card title="E-LIVE-004" href="/production/troubleshooting/e-live-004">no execution venue configured</Card>
</CardGroup>