OpenAI and Foundry resources returning 401 unauthorised using the API

Question

OpenAI and Foundry resources returning 401 unauthorised using the API

Alex Visan (alvisan) 0

I created an OpenAI resource within a resource group (all network access), I created some deployments on it (in the same region as the resources), but when I try to reach it through my python app or via curl, I am getting -> {"error":{"code":"401","message":"Access denied due to invalid subscription key or wrong API endpoint. Make sure to provide a valid key for an active subscription and use a correct regional API endpoint for your resource."}}.

I also tried creating a foundry project and creating some deployments in there, but I am getting the same error.

The interesting thing is that prior to creating these 2 resources, I was playing around with another openai resource the other day and that was working with the exact same setup.

Am I missing something or is this an issue I should be reporting somewhere?

Chiugo Okpala 1,925 Reputation points MVP

2025-05-22T20:29:53.91+00:00
@Alex Visan (alvisan) welcome to the Microsoft Q&A community.

A 401 Unauthorized error typically means that your API key is either incorrect, missing, or being used with the wrong endpoint.

Here are a few things you can check:

API Key Validity – Ensure that the API key you're using is correct and hasn't been revoked.

Correct Endpoint – Verify that you're using the correct API endpoint for your region.

Subscription Status – Make sure your subscription is active and has the necessary permissions.

Headers Format – If you're using curl, ensure that your request includes the correct Authorization header format (Bearer <your-api-key>).

Environment Variables – If you're using a .env file, confirm that your application is correctly loading the API key.

You might find some helpful troubleshooting steps in this OpenAI Developer Community thread or this Microsoft Q&A discussion. If you've checked everything and the issue persists, it may be worth reporting it to OpenAI or Microsoft support.

I hope these helps. Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional assistance.

Also if these answers your query, do click the "Upvote" and click "Accept the answer" of which might be beneficial to other community members reading this thread.
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This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Chiugo Okpala 1,925 Reputation points MVP

2025-05-24T10:58:14.1666667+00:00

@Alex Visan (alvisan) good to know the issue has been resolved. You can then click the "Upvote" and click "Accept the answer" of which might be beneficial to other community members reading this thread.

1 answer

Your answer

Chiugo Okpala 1,925 Reputation points MVP

2025-05-22T20:29:53.91+00:00

@Alex Visan (alvisan) welcome to the Microsoft Q&A community.

A 401 Unauthorized error typically means that your API key is either incorrect, missing, or being used with the wrong endpoint.

Here are a few things you can check:

API Key Validity – Ensure that the API key you're using is correct and hasn't been revoked.

Correct Endpoint – Verify that you're using the correct API endpoint for your region.

Subscription Status – Make sure your subscription is active and has the necessary permissions.

Headers Format – If you're using curl, ensure that your request includes the correct Authorization header format (Bearer <your-api-key>).

Environment Variables – If you're using a .env file, confirm that your application is correctly loading the API key.

You might find some helpful troubleshooting steps in this OpenAI Developer Community thread or this Microsoft Q&A discussion. If you've checked everything and the issue persists, it may be worth reporting it to OpenAI or Microsoft support.

I hope these helps. Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional assistance.

Also if these answers your query, do click the "Upvote" and click "Accept the answer" of which might be beneficial to other community members reading this thread.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Chiugo Okpala 1,925 Reputation points MVP

2025-05-24T10:58:14.1666667+00:00

@Alex Visan (alvisan) good to know the issue has been resolved. You can then click the "Upvote" and click "Accept the answer" of which might be beneficial to other community members reading this thread.

Answer 1

Alex Visan (alvisan) 0

After debugging this further, I noticed the following discrepancy:

When running the file with debugpy, the environment variable is updated and the call is made properly.
When running the application with python filename.py, the env variable has an old value.

Making the following adjustment in my code resolves the issue:

load_dotenv(override=True)

Anonymous

2025-05-28T19:54:51.35+00:00

Hi Alex Visan (alvisan)

I'm glad to hear that your issue has been resolved, If this answers your query, do click "Accept the answer” for the same, which might be beneficial to other community members reading this thread. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Thanks