Reviewing your OKX API keys the way an auditor would: permissions, IP limits and expiry

An API key is a standing permission. Once created, it keeps working until you delete it or it expires, even if you have long forgotten the tool you connected it to. Many people create a key for a portfolio tracker or a trading bot, try the service for a few weeks and then move on, leaving the key active in their account. Each forgotten key is a door that someone else might be able to open if the service is compromised or the key leaks. This guide borrows the habits of an auditor: make a complete inventory, compare each item against what it actually needs, remove anything unjustified and write down what you decided. The goal is a short list of keys you understand, each with the narrowest permissions that still let it work.

Build a complete inventory first

Open the API management area of your OKX account and list every key you see: its label, the date it was created, its permissions and any IP restrictions. Write this list in a private note rather than relying on the screen. For each key, record which service uses it and whether you still use that service. If you cannot identify what a key is for, that alone is a strong reason to delete it. An inventory makes the rest of the review mechanical rather than a matter of memory.

Match permissions to the actual job

A portfolio tracker usually needs only read access. A trading tool may need trading permission but rarely needs withdrawal permission. Compare each key's permissions with what the connected service genuinely requires, using that service's own documentation and the OKX help pages on API settings. Where a key has more access than necessary, create a new key with narrower permissions, update the service and then delete the old one. Avoid enabling withdrawal permission for any third-party tool unless you fully understand why it is needed.

Use IP restrictions where the tool supports them

If the service you connect runs from fixed server addresses, binding the key to those addresses means a leaked key is much less useful to anyone else. Some tools publish their addresses; others do not support this at all. Where restrictions are possible, apply them and note the addresses in your inventory. Where they are not, treat that key as higher risk, keep its permissions minimal and review it more often. Never paste an API secret into a chat, email or support ticket.

Retire keys and record the review

Delete keys linked to services you no longer use, keys you cannot identify and keys whose permissions you could not justify. Then note the date of the review and the keys that remain. Repeat the exercise every few months and immediately after you stop using any connected tool. If you ever suspect a key was exposed, delete it first and investigate afterwards, then check recent orders and account activity for anything you did not initiate.

Risk boundary: OKX Independent Review

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Scenario checkpoint

• List every OKX API key with its label, creation date, permissions and connected service.
• Delete any key whose purpose you cannot identify with confidence.
• Give tracking tools read-only access and avoid withdrawal permission for third-party tools.
• Bind keys to fixed IP addresses wherever the connected service supports it.
• Record the date of each review and repeat it after you stop using any connected tool.