> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nerovasystems.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nerovasystems.com/guides/zero-to-live/step-1-credentials.md).

# Step 1: Get credentials

**Step 1 of 10.** Establish your organization's access and obtain credentials for supported API calls. Approved platforms use a single Live key (`nrv_live_...`) from the first call onward; no other key type is issued.

Nerova approves your platform first. An approved platform receives a Live key and a free testing allowance of 5,000,000 tokens, which is never invoiced, before any commercial agreement. See [Platform access](https://docs.nerovasystems.com/documentation/console/platform-access).

## 1.1 Create a console account

Follow the access instructions supplied to your platform. The console signup URL is:

```
https://app.nerovasystems.com/signup?intent=sandbox
```

Enter your work email. The console sends a six digit verification code to that address; enter the code to complete signup. The signup flow is a browser flow: it manages its own session cookies and cross site request forgery tokens, so complete it in the browser rather than scripting it.

`intent=sandbox` is a legacy route parameter and does not create a separate environment. Use the invite link if one was supplied. You need no commercial agreement to start.

## 1.2 Create an organization

After signup the console prompts you to create an organization. Give it the name of your company or product. The organization is the boundary that owns API keys, tenants, billing, and audit history. One account can belong to several organizations; keys always act for exactly one.

## 1.3 Mint a Live API key

In the console, open **Developers**, then **API keys**, and create a new key:

1. Choose **Live**, the only environment. The secret will be prefixed `nrv_live_`. Any attempt to create a non-Live key is rejected with `403 api_key.sandbox_disabled`.
2. Give the key a descriptive name such as `integration-walkthrough`.
3. Select the permission areas the key needs. For this guide select the areas covering merchant provisioning, activation, capabilities, channels, connections, conversations, work, attention, notifications, and usage.

The response shows the key secret exactly once. Store it in your secret manager immediately; the console can never show it again. If you lose it, revoke the key and mint a new one.

Export the secret once in your shell and let examples read it from the environment:

```bash
export NEROVA_API_KEY=nrv_live_...   # paste your full secret here
```

New keys run on the free testing allowance. If the allowance is used up before your commercial agreement is signed or a card is saved, the key and the AI pause until one of those happens. See [From approval to your first invoice](https://docs.nerovasystems.com/documentation/console/platform-access#from-approval-to-your-first-invoice).

Every request in this guide then authenticates with the same header:

```bash
-H "Authorization: Bearer $NEROVA_API_KEY"
```

{% hint style="warning" %}
Treat the key like a password. Never commit it, never log it, and never paste it into support tickets. No example in this guide contains a key literal, and none of yours should either: read the key from the environment or your secret manager in every snippet you write.
{% endhint %}

## 1.4 Minting keys from automation

Once you have one console session you can also mint keys through the account API that the console itself uses. Two idempotency values are required and they must be equal: the `Idempotency-Key` header and the `creationRequestId` body field. If they differ the request is rejected with HTTP 400.

```
POST /api/account/org/api-keys/
Idempotency-Key: 7f3c2d9a-0b6e-4d2c-9a51-2f8e6b1c4d70

{
  "creationRequestId": "7f3c2d9a-0b6e-4d2c-9a51-2f8e6b1c4d70",
  "name": "integration-walkthrough",
  "environment": "Live",
  "permissionAreas": ["..."]
}
```

Most integrations never need this; the console UI is the supported path today.

## Where you are now

You hold an `nrv_live_` key scoped to your organization and its grants, running on the free testing allowance. Next, prove the key works and learn the request conventions.

Continue to [Step 2: First calls](/guides/zero-to-live/step-2-first-calls.md).


---

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