prose-contracts/litellm-api-keys.prose.md

kind, name, description

kind	name	description
function	litellm-api-keys	Manages LiteLLM API keys for agent identity. Creates named keys so each agent is identifiable in LiteLLM logs/spend tracking. Keys are permanent (no expiry) and use the agent's bare name as alias (e.g., "tanko", not "tanko-jul2026"). Ensures agents never use the master key directly. Rotation is event-driven, not calendar-driven — rotate only on compromise, personnel change, or periodic security hygiene (quarterly/annually). UPDATED 2026-07-12: Keys are stored in Infisical vault (project=agents, env=production) BUT each agent host MUST keep a local .env fallback. Infisical service tokens can expire/404. The .env fallback prevents agents from running without keys. Tanko incident: token 404 → gateway had no LITELLM_API_KEY for hours. Current key inventory and agent list: see gpu-fleet.prose.md § Agent Keys. Source of truth for LiteLLM config: /opt/inference-harness/litellm_config.yaml on CT 116. Last verified: 2026-07-12.

Parameters

• agent_name: string — The agent to manage keys for (e.g., "tanko", "mumuni")
• action: "create" | "rotate" | "verify" | "list" — What to do (default: "create")
• litellm_host: string — LiteLLM admin endpoint (default: "192.168.68.116:4000")
• master_key: string — LiteLLM master key (default from Infisical vault: project=infrastructure, env=production, secret=LITELLM_MASTER_KEY)
• vault_url: string — Infisical vault URL (default: "https://vault.sysloggh.net")
• vault_project: string — Infisical project slug (default: "infrastructure")
• vault_env: string — Infisical environment (default: "production")
• agent_host: string — Agent's IP for SSH (default: resolved from infra)
• agent_user: string — SSH user (default: "jerome")

Returns

• action: string — What was done
• key_alias: string — The LiteLLM key alias created/rotated
• key_prefix: string — First 10 chars of the new key (for identification)
• previous_key_alias: string | null — Previous key alias if rotating
• litellm_response: object — Raw response from LiteLLM /key/generate
• vault_updated: boolean — Whether Infisical vault secret was updated
• agent_config_updated: boolean — Legacy: whether /etc/environment was updated (deprecated, always false post-migration)
• verification: { status: string, detail: string } — Final health check

Execution

1. Authenticate — Retrieve master key from Infisical vault via infisical export --project=<vault_project> --env=<vault_env>, verify against LiteLLM /key/list
2. Check existing keys — List all keys, find any with agent_name alias
3. If action == "list": Return all keys with their aliases and spend
4. If action == "create":
   • Generate new key with key_alias: "{agent_name}" (e.g., "tanko" — bare name, no date)
   • Set metadata: { "agent": "{agent_name}", "purpose": "agent-inference" }
   • Duration is null (permanent) — inherited from litellm default_key_generate_params
   • Set models: ["syslog-auto", "qwen3.6-27B-code", "gemma-4-12b", "strix-moe", "gpu-dense", "gpu-light", "qwen3.6-35B-udq4"]
   • Note: ornith-1.0-35b is NOT a valid LiteLLM model name (use strix-moe, the stable alias). qwen3.6-35B-A3B removed from fleet (was never deployed).
   • Return the new key
5. If action == "rotate":
   • Generate new key with same alias (LiteLLM replaces the old key)
   • Update secret in Infisical vault: infisical secrets set LITELLM_API_KEY=<new_key> --project=<vault_project> --env=<vault_env>
   • Restart agent gateway (Hermes: systemctl restart hermes-gateway; pi: restart PM2 process) The gateway automatically picks up the new key via infisical run -- wrapper
   • Verify: curl test against /v1/models with new key
   • Rotation policy: on-demand only (compromise, departure, quarterly hygiene)
   • Note: /etc/environment is NO LONGER used for LiteLLM keys. Agents inject keys at runtime via vault wrapper.
6. If action == "verify":
   • Retrieve key from Infisical vault: infisical secrets get LITELLM_API_KEY --project=<vault_project> --env=<vault_env>
   • Test the key against LiteLLM /v1/models
   • Confirm key alias matches agent_name in LiteLLM key list
   • Verify agent gateway uses vault wrapper: cat /proc/<pid>/cmdline shows infisical run

Machine Identity for Vault Writes (ADDED 2026-07-16, WAL #1300)

Problem: The infisical CLI on agent hosts is logged in as a user session (jerome@sysloggh.com). In CLI v0.38.0, infisical secrets set / infisical export fail with "project id missing" / "workspace key 404" — a known bug where user-session auth works for run but NOT for secrets set. The apt repo only ships 0.38.0, so apt upgrade does not help.

Proper fix — Machine Identity (Infisical automation best practice): Create a machine identity with READ+WRITE scope on the agents project (project_id= 322fceab-39da-4854-a55a-568e76c0f13f, env prod). Store client_id + client_secret securely. Then vault writes work from any host:

# Get a machine-identity access token
TOKEN=$(curl -fsSL -X POST https://vault.sysloggh.net/api/v1/auth/universal-auth/login \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"clientId":"<CLIENT_ID>","clientSecret":"<CLIENT_SECRET>"}' | jq -r .accessToken)
# Write a secret via REST API v3
 curl -fsSL -X PATCH https://vault.sysloggh.net/api/v3/secrets/MUMUNI_LITELLM_API_KEY \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"environment":"prod","secretValue":"sk-<NEW_KEY>","workspaceId":"<WORKSPACE_ID>","type":"shared"}'
# OR via CLI: infisical secrets set --token=$TOKEN --projectId=322fceab... --env=prod ...

Creation requires the Infisical web UI (https://vault.sysloggh.net) under Project Settings → Machine Identities, or an admin API call. TODO: create abiba-automation machine identity and store its credentials in the vault itself (or a root-only file).

Interim (working now): the .env fallback (hermes-config-template Rule 3/13). The infisical-gateway.sh wrapper sources ~/.hermes/.env, so its MUMUNI_LITELLM_API_KEY overrides the stale vault value. This is fully functional and contract-sanctioned — the vault sync above is only for consistency so .env and vault never drift.

Key Rotation Log

Date	Agent	Action	Notes
2026-07-16	mumuni	rotate	Old key malformed (sk-SWAl_Vu, 47 chars, not LiteLLM format) → 401. Deleted old mumuni key (token 15cbca18…), generated fresh (alias mumuni, 7 models: syslog-auto, qwen3.6-27B-code, gemma-4-12b, strix-moe, gpu-dense, gpu-light, qwen3.6-35B-udq4). New key sk-OzuWsoX2… written to /root/.hermes/.env (Rule 3/13 fallback). Vault sync PENDING (needs machine identity). WAL #1300.

LiteLLM Master Key (use sparingly — agents should NOT use it directly)

• Master key: sk-litellm-7f96080dd99b15c36bd4b333b58a6796 (in /opt/inference-harness/.env on CT116, Infisical project=infrastructure env=production secret=LITELLM_MASTER_KEY)
• Used for /key/generate, /key/delete, /key/list (GET), DB queries
• Known violation: Abiba's LITELLM_API_KEY IS the master key (should be a dedicated abiba virtual key). TODO: generate abiba virtual key and stop using master key directly.
• LiteLLM key DB: harness-postgres container on CT116, table "LiteLLM_VerificationToken" (columns: token, key_alias, key_name, created_at, expires). Query: docker exec harness-postgres psql -U litellm -d litellm -t -c "SELECT key_alias, substr(token,1,16) FROM \"LiteLLM_VerificationToken\" ORDER BY created_at;"