Ask Key

一How it works

You say one line and click once. That’s it.

Watch one request from start to finish. When it needs a key, it stops and waits for you.

Ask Key in the middle, the AI on the left and the program ./deploy.sh on the right. The key goes from Ask Key straight to the program; the AI only gets back one line of output.

You tell your AI:
“Publish the website.”
It looks through Ask Key’s catalog and finds the key it needs.
You don’t have to tell it where the key is.
To use it, the AI files a request:
run ./deploy.sh with “Website server”.
Ask Key asks you.
Who wants which key, to run what. It’s all on one prompt.
You allowed it.
Ask Key hands the key straight to ./deploy.sh, not to the AI.

You allowed it for 30 minutes.
The key goes straight to ./deploy.sh. For the next 30 minutes it’s used without asking you again.

You said no.
./deploy.sh never runs, and the key stays put.

Nobody answered.
The request expired after five minutes.
The AI gets back one line: “Deployed”.
The job is done, and the AI never held the key. Every use is in Access records.

The AI gets back one line: “Denied”.
Using a key always goes through you.

The AI gets back one line: “Expired”.
Using a key always goes through you.

二Permissions

Every key follows your rule.

Everyday keys pass, important ones ask you every time, and keys your AI should never touch stay hidden.

When a key needs asking, Ask Key shows who wants it, which key, and what for. Allow it once, or for 30 minutes; for those 30 minutes, every AI on the same Mac can use it without asking again.

Allow

Your AI uses it without asking, and every use is recorded.

Ask every timeDefault

Every use waits for your yes.

Hidden

Your AI can’t see this key, so it never asks for it.

三Clients

Works with the AI coding tools you already use.

Four connect in one click. Any other tool that speaks MCP works with a short config.

Ask Key

Claude Code
Codex
Cursor
Grok Build

Claude Desktop
VS Code
Kiro
Trae
Windsurf
Qwen Code
Zed
Cline

One clickAsk Key writes the settings for you
By handPaste a short config into any MCP tool

"askkey": {
  "command": "/Applications/Ask Key.app/Contents/Helpers/askkey",
  "args": ["mcp"]
}

四Limits

What it doesn’t promise.

Ask Key decides who gets a key, and when. A few things are outside its reach; know them before you rely on it.

The full security model

01
Programs can pass keys on
A program you approve can print, copy or forward the key it receives. You are approving that program, not just the AI that asked.
02
Names are self-reported
The requester and purpose in the prompt come from the AI. They help you read the request; they are not a verified identity.
03
Other programs in your account
Once a key reaches a program, other programs in the same Mac account may read it. Hidden doesn’t cover that path.
04
Timed allow covers every AI
“Allow for 30 minutes” applies to every AI on this Mac, not just the one that asked.
05
No backup yet
There is no backup or restore yet. Keep a copy of important keys somewhere else.

The Mac key manager for AI.

Download for Mac

Free · Requires Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later
Drag the app to Applications and keep its name.

Free and open sourceMIT licensed, every line of code on GitHub. If it helps you, give it a star.
Notarized by AppleThe installer passed Apple’s security check.
Encrypted on your MacYour keys are encrypted and kept on your own Mac.