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

bash
# 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

typescript
// 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:

bash
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.