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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Replace the legacy Cloudways API key used by your GitHub Actions deployment before Cloudways’ stated retirement date of October 15, 2026. The key steps are to find every workflow using it, create a dedicated Access Token with only the required permissions, store the token as a GitHub Actions secret, and update authentication in a way your specific action supports. Do not assume an Access Token works in an action that still asks for an API key.
What changes, and what does not
Cloudways says its legacy API key is scheduled to reach end of life on October 15, 2026; integrations that continue using it may stop working after retirement. Check the current notice in the Cloudways Access Token guide before scheduling a production change, since vendor transition dates can change.
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An Access Token is a replacement credential, but changing the value in a GitHub secret does not automatically make an older action compatible. The Cloudways API Git Pull listing documents a CLOUDWAYS_API_KEY credential and an api-key input. That listing does not establish that the action accepts Access Tokens. Confirm support in the documentation and source for the exact action version you use, or move to a supported way of making Cloudways API requests.
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Inventory every place the old key is used
Search the repository and deployment configuration for CLOUDWAYS_API_KEY, api-key, and Cloudways API authentication code. Check every repository and deployment environment, including organization-level secrets and any separate automation outside GitHub Actions.
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For each workflow, note whether it uses a Marketplace action or calls the API directly. Record the action name and pinned version, the secret name it reads, the deployment target, and whether it runs against staging or production. This determines whether the migration is a secret update, an action upgrade, or an authentication implementation change.
Create a dedicated Cloudways Access Token
- Open the Cloudways API Integration interface using the primary account owner account. Cloudways identifies the primary account owner as the user who can access this interface.
- Create a token named for the specific workflow or integration so its purpose is identifiable later.
- Set an expiry that fits your credential-rotation policy. Cloudways supports expiration periods; plan a replacement and secret update before the selected token expires.
- Choose Limited Access and grant the permission needed for the deployment operation, such as Git deployment, if the current scope list supports it. Cloudways labels Limited Access as Beta, and available endpoints may change. If the required operation is not available, check the current Cloudways API documentation and the action’s implementation rather than defaulting to broad Full Access.
- Copy the complete token before leaving the creation screen. Cloudways displays it once; it cannot later be viewed or regenerated. If it is lost, create a replacement.
Cloudways recommends selecting only the API permissions required for Git deployment when Limited Access supports the operation. See its Git auto-deployment guide for the deployment permission context.
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Store the token in GitHub Actions secrets
Add the token as a GitHub Actions secret at the narrowest level that fits its use: repository, environment, or organization. GitHub documents these secret scopes in its Actions secrets documentation. Use an environment secret when the deployment is tied to a protected environment; use an organization secret only when multiple repositories genuinely need the same credential.
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- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your YubiKey 5 NFC via USB and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC), to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required
- MOST SECURE PASSKEY: Supports FIDO2/WebAuthn, FIDO U2F, Yubico OTP, OATH-TOTP/HOTP, Smart card (PIV), and OpenPGP. That means it’s versatile, working almost anywhere you need it
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Update authentication according to the integration
If retaining a Marketplace action
Check the exact action version’s documentation and source for explicit Access Token support, including the expected input or authorization header. The reviewed Cloudways API Git Pull Marketplace listing documents the legacy CLOUDWAYS_API_KEY and api-key interface; do not merely put a token into that old input and assume it will authenticate. Upgrade only to a version that explicitly supports the token method, or select another supported integration.
If the workflow calls the API directly
Update the request to follow Cloudways’ currently documented Access Token authentication method and the API endpoint being called. Cloudways’ API v2 overview provides background, but use the current Developer Portal documentation for request syntax, endpoint behavior, and permissions. Do not copy an authentication header or request example from an unrelated API version or action.
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- WORKS WITH 1000+ ACCOUNTS: Compatible with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. A single Security Key NFC secures 100 of your favorite accounts, including email, password managers, and more.
- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key NFC via USB-A and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
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Choose the route based on evidence, not convenience
Compare a retained action with a direct or customized API integration on confirmed Access Token support, maintenance of the version you will run, least-privilege scope compatibility, secret handling and logging, and deployment diagnostics. If any of these are unclear, test the integration outside the production deployment path before switching credentials.
Test the migration before removing the old key
- Run the updated workflow against a safe branch or staging target where available.
- Confirm the action or API call authenticates and that the expected Git deployment completes. Review the workflow result and Cloudways deployment status, not just a successful job start.
- If using the Cloudways API Playground to test an operation, remember that its actions affect the authenticated account. Use a test server where possible and avoid running a destructive or production-changing operation as a connectivity check.
- After successful verification, delete the old API key from GitHub secrets and any other stored configuration. Revoke unused or exposed Access Tokens; revocation immediately disables the token, so check for other consumers first.
Troubleshoot authentication and deployment errors
HTTP 401
Check that the workflow is passing the complete token and that it is valid, unexpired, and not revoked. Cloudways’ Git deployment guidance associates 401 errors with an invalid, expired, revoked, or unavailable token. A lost token cannot be retrieved: create a replacement, update the secret, test again, and then revoke the old token if appropriate.
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HTTP 403
Check permission and webhook configuration separately. Cloudways says a 403 can result from an incorrect webhook secret or insufficient permission for the Git pull operation. Confirm the token’s scope allows the operation and that any webhook secret configured for the deployment is correct.
The action still asks for an API key
That is a compatibility issue, not proof that the new token is malformed. Check the current action version’s documentation and source for Access Token support. If it documents only the legacy API-key input, use a supported version or another documented authentication path rather than treating the two credentials as interchangeable.
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