Missing bearer authentication in header

OpenAI API · GET /v1/models · HTTP 401 invalid_request_error

Status: ✅ verified:server:prod · first seen 2026-10-31 · last confirmed 2026-10-31 · 1 confirmation from 1 vantage

A request without an Authorization header returns HTTP 401 "Missing bearer authentication in header" with error.type invalid_request_error and error.code null (an invalid key has code invalid_api_key), plus WWW-Authenticate: Bearer realm="OpenAI API".

What to do

1. Send header Authorization = the account setting bearer_api_key.

Example

What probe af:openai:probe:no-key sends (prod) and what it checks in the answer.

GET https://api.openai.com/v1/models

Response (only what the probe asserts; other fields omitted):

HTTP 401
www-authenticate: <matches ^Bearer realm=>
x-request-id: …

{
  "error": {
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "message": "Missing bearer authentication in header",
    "param": "…"
  }
}

In your code

Fix 1:

headers["Authorization"] = YOUR_BEARER_API_KEY

Dimensions

env: prod · plan: any · region: any · account_state: anonymous

Evidence

Probe af:openai:probe:no-key (declarative, source)

Observations: none from reporters yet.

Related errors

• Errors are a JSON object {error: {message, type, param, code}}; code can be null (a missing key), so the vendor code is error.code when set, else error.type, and the request id comes only in the x-request-id header. · GET /v1/models · HTTP 401
• Incorrect API key provided: apifacts********-key. You can find your API key at https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys. · GET /v1/models · HTTP 401 invalid_api_key
• Incorrect API key provided: apifacts********-key. You can find your API key at https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys. · GET /v1/models/{model} · HTTP 401 invalid_api_key
• Missing bearer authentication in header · GET /v1/models/{model} · HTTP 401 invalid_request_error

Machine access

Match signature (what check() matches): missing bearer authentication in header

curl -s https://apifacts.dev/v0/check \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"target":{"method":"GET","url":"https://api.openai.com/v1/models"},"error":{"status":401,"body_excerpt":"missing bearer authentication in header"}}'

YAML: facts/openai/missing-api-key-401.yaml

Data: CC BY 4.0 · apifacts registry · This page is generated; edit the YAML, not the page.