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Getting a USPTO API Key

The USPTO Open Data Portal requires an API key for all requests. Each user gets one key, and keys must not be shared per USPTO policy.

Step 1: Create a USPTO account

Go to the USPTO Open Data Portal and click Sign In to create a MyUSPTO account.

Step 2: Verify your identity with ID.me

After creating your account, you must complete identity verification through ID.me. This is a one-time requirement before you can access API keys. The USPTO uses ID.me to verify that each API key belongs to a real person.

Step 3: Get your API key from MyODP

Once your identity is verified, sign in to the MyODP dashboard. Your API key will be displayed on the dashboard.

Step 4: Configure the CLI

Recommended: store your key once in global CLI config:

uspto config set-api-key your-api-key-here

This writes your key to your user config directory (for example: %AppData%\uspto\config.env on Windows, ~/.config/uspto/config.env on Linux/macOS), so uspto works from any directory.

This is runtime configuration only. Your API key is not embedded into the binary when you build/package the CLI.

Alternative options:

# Set in shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, PowerShell profile, etc.)
export USPTO_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

# Pass directly on each command
uspto search --api-key your-api-key-here --title "machine learning"

Key policies

  • One key per user. Each verified account receives a single API key.
  • No organization-wide keys. Each person must have their own account and key.
  • Do not share keys. USPTO terms prohibit sharing API keys between users. If multiple people need access, each must create their own account.
  • Keys do not expire as long as they are used at least once per year.
  • Rate limits apply. See the rate limits documentation for details on request quotas.

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