AuthenticationError
groq.AuthenticationError
Stack trace
groq.AuthenticationError: Invalid API key provided. Please check your API key and try again.
File "app.py", line 42, in query_groq
response = client.query(...)
File "groq/client.py", line 88, in query
raise AuthenticationError("Invalid API key provided.") Why it happens
This error occurs because the Groq client attempts to authenticate with the Groq API using an API key that is either missing, malformed, expired, or revoked. The server rejects the request with a 401 Unauthorized status, triggering this exception.
Detection
Catch groq.AuthenticationError exceptions during API calls and log the error message along with the API key environment variable to verify correctness before retrying.
Causes & fixes
API key environment variable is not set or is empty
Set the GROQ_API_KEY environment variable with a valid API key before running the application.
API key string is malformed or contains extra whitespace
Trim whitespace from the API key string and ensure it matches the exact key provided by Groq.
Using an expired or revoked API key
Generate a new API key from the Groq dashboard and update the environment variable accordingly.
Incorrect environment variable name or client configuration
Verify that the client reads the API key from the correct environment variable and that the client initialization includes the key.
Code: broken vs fixed
from groq import GroqClient
import os
client = GroqClient(api_key="") # Bad: empty API key causes AuthenticationError
response = client.query("some query") # Raises AuthenticationError herefrom groq import GroqClient
import os
api_key = os.environ.get("GROQ_API_KEY") # Fixed: load API key from environment
client = GroqClient(api_key=api_key)
response = client.query("some query")
print(response) # Works if API key is validWorkaround
Wrap GroqClient calls in try/except AuthenticationError, log the error, and prompt for reconfiguration or manual API key input as a fallback.
Prevention
Use secure environment management to inject valid API keys and implement monitoring to detect authentication failures early before impacting production.