Klaviyo Install & Auth

Overview

Set up the official klaviyo-api Node.js SDK and configure private API key authentication against Klaviyo's REST API (revision 2024-10-15). The workflow below is the high-level path; the verbatim code for every step lives in the full implementation walkthrough, and copy-paste sequences live in worked examples.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ (or Python 3.10+ for Python SDK)
Klaviyo account at https://www.klaviyo.com/
Private API key from Settings > API Keys in Klaviyo dashboard
Public API key (for client-side only -- never use in server code)

Instructions

The full sequence is five steps. The essentials are below; drill into references/implementation.md for the complete code of each step (verify script, revision header, Python setup, scope table).

Step 1: Install the Official SDK

# Node.js (official SDK -- NOT @klaviyo/sdk, that's deprecated)
npm install klaviyo-api

Important: The npm package is klaviyo-api, not @klaviyo/sdk. The SDK exports per-resource API classes (ProfilesApi, EventsApi, etc.) that each take an ApiKeySession.

Step 2: Configure Authentication

Store the private key in .env and confirm it is gitignored. Klaviyo uses two key types:

Key Type	Prefix	Use Case	Header
Private API Key	`pk_`	Server-side REST API	`Authorization: Klaviyo-API-Key pk_***`
Public API Key	6-char	Client-side Track/Identify	Query param `company_id`

Step 3: Initialize the SDK

// src/klaviyo/client.ts
import { ApiKeySession, ProfilesApi, EventsApi, ListsApi } from 'klaviyo-api';

const session = new ApiKeySession(process.env.KLAVIYO_PRIVATE_KEY!);

export const profilesApi = new ProfilesApi(session);
export const eventsApi = new EventsApi(session);
export const listsApi = new ListsApi(session);

Steps 4-5: Verify & set the revision header

Run a one-time verification against AccountsApi.getAccounts() to prove the key works, and remember every request needs a revision: 2024-10-15 header (the SDK adds it automatically; raw HTTP does not). Full verify script + cURL smoke test: references/implementation.md.

Output

klaviyo-api package installed in node_modules
.env file with KLAVIYO_PRIVATE_KEY set
Verified API connection with account name printed
Per-resource API clients ready for import

Error Handling

Error	Status	Cause	Solution
`Authentication failed`	401	Invalid or expired private key	Regenerate key at Settings > API Keys
`Forbidden`	403	Key missing required scopes	Create key with appropriate scopes (e.g., `profiles:read`)
`Rate limited`	429	Exceeded 75 req/s burst or 700 req/min steady	Honor `Retry-After` header; see `klaviyo-rate-limits`
`MODULE_NOT_FOUND`	N/A	Wrong package name	Use `klaviyo-api`, not `@klaviyo/sdk`
`ENOTFOUND a.klaviyo.com`	N/A	DNS/network failure	Check internet connectivity, firewall rules

Examples

Four copy-paste sequences (fresh Node project, key verification, Python with retry tuning, raw-HTTP smoke test) are in references/examples.md. The fastest sanity check — confirm a key from a shell before writing any code:

curl -X GET "https://a.klaviyo.com/api/profiles/" \
  -H "Authorization: Klaviyo-API-Key pk_***" \
  -H "revision: 2024-10-15" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.api+json"

A 200 with a JSON data array means the key and revision header are valid; a 401 means the key is wrong; a 403 means it lacks the profiles:read scope.

Resources

Full implementation walkthrough — verbatim code for all 5 steps, Python setup, and the API scopes table
Worked examples — four end-to-end copy-paste sequences
Klaviyo API Reference
Authentication Guide
klaviyo-api npm
klaviyo-api-node GitHub
Klaviyo Status

Next Steps

After successful auth, proceed to the klaviyo-hello-world skill for your first profile + event API call, then klaviyo-rate-limits to harden request handling against the 75 req/s burst ceiling.

klaviyo-install-auth