A 401 from BrowserStack’s Screenshots API means the request is unauthorized. Start by sending the account username and access key together as HTTP Basic Auth, then check that both values are current and that your plan includes the Screenshots API. BrowserStack’s documented example is curl -u "USERNAME:ACCESS_KEY" https://www.browserstack.com/screenshots.
1. Send the credentials as HTTP Basic Auth
The Screenshots API uses your BrowserStack account username as the Basic Auth username and your access key as the password. BrowserStack’s Screenshots API documentation warns that an unauthorized request receives a 401 response.
curl -u "USERNAME:ACCESS_KEY" https://www.browserstack.com/screenshotsReplace both values with the credentials for the account that should access the API. Do not put the access key in the username field, use the account password in place of the access key, or send only one of the two values.
2. Verify the credential values in your request
BrowserStack identifies the required credentials as username and access-key. Find them under Account Settings, then confirm the request actually receives those values.
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- Check that your username and access key are not empty. In a script or CI job, inspect whether the expected environment variables or secrets are defined.
- Look for accidental whitespace or line breaks introduced when copying a secret.
- Confirm the key belongs to the same BrowserStack account as the username.
- Make sure your API client is configured for HTTP Basic Auth, with the username and access key in the correct fields.
Keep secrets out of committed source code and shared logs. When debugging, verify presence and placement without printing the access key itself.
3. Update integrations after access-key rotation
Rotating an access key invalidates the previous one, according to BrowserStack’s access-key management documentation. Replace the old value anywhere the request runs, including local environment configuration, deployment settings, and CI secret stores. Updating only your local copy will not fix a job that still reads the old secret.
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4. Check whether your plan includes the API
BrowserStack says the Screenshots API is available only on Automate plans that include browsers. A Live-only subscriber is directed to use Screenshots through the webpage instead. Check plan eligibility if the credentials are correct and current; BrowserStack’s documentation does not establish that every plan-access problem returns 401.
5. Confirm you are calling the Screenshots API endpoint
Use the endpoint documented for the Screenshots API: https://www.browserstack.com/screenshots. BrowserStack has multiple APIs, and a host or path shown in documentation for another product may not be the right endpoint for this operation. Its separate Automate API authentication documentation also describes HTTP Basic Auth, but that does not make its endpoint interchangeable with the Screenshots API.
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6. Narrow down the failure
- Reproduce with curl: run the documented Basic Auth example using the correct username and access key. Avoid sharing the command with the real key in shell history, tickets, or logs.
- If curl succeeds but your script fails: compare the script’s auth configuration and the secret values it loads with the working request. Check for missing variables and stale CI secrets.
- If both requests return 401: recheck the username, key, key rotation history, and account eligibility.
- If credentials appear valid but access still fails: confirm that the account’s Automate plan includes browsers and that the request targets the Screenshots API rather than another BrowserStack product endpoint.
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