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

# Authentication

> Authenticate Modus API requests with a bearer token.

The Modus API authenticates requests using a **bearer token** in the
`Authorization` header. Every request must include a valid token.

```bash theme={null}
curl https://api.getmodus.com/api/v1/scopes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $MODUS_TOKEN"
```

## Personal Access Tokens

For server-to-server and third-party integrations, use a **Personal Access
Token (PAT)**. A PAT has the form:

```
modus_<orgUuid>_<prefix>_<secret>
```

Treat the token like a password:

* Store it in a secret manager or environment variable — never commit it.
* Scope it to the minimum access the integration needs.
* Rotate it if it is ever exposed.

<Warning>
  The secret portion of a PAT is shown only once at creation time. If you lose
  it, create a new token and revoke the old one.
</Warning>

## Using the token in the playground

The interactive playground in the [API](/api-reference) sends the
token you provide as a bearer credential, so you can try endpoints against the
production environment without writing any code.