---
title: "Import licence keys"
description: "Import licence keys from CSV text (csv), as the Licence keys page's Import does. Columns are matched by header: key (Licence Key, License Key or Key), tag (Tag, Tags or Tags linked) and status. Only the key column is req"
url: https://docs.filemonk.io/v2/api-reference/licences/import-licence-keys/
api: "API v2 reference"
method: POST
path: "/licences/import"
---

# Import licence keys

`POST https://app.filemonk.io/api/v2/external/licences/import`

Import licence keys from CSV text (csv), as the Licence keys page's Import does. Columns are matched by header: key (Licence Key, License Key or Key), tag (Tag, Tags or Tags linked) and status. Only the key column is required; without a tag column the keys are imported untagged. column_mapping {key, tag, status} gives 0-based column indexes instead. Keys whose status column says assigned or used are skipped.

**Note:** The whole file is rejected (422, one error per bad line) when any row has an empty key, or an empty tag in a tag column; nothing is written then. Up to 5 MB of text.

## Request body

- `csv` (string, required): e.g. `key,tag
ABCD-EFGH-IJKL-0003,ebook-2026
ABCD-EFGH-IJKL-000…`
- `column_mapping` (any)

Rate limit: this call costs 2 points ([rate limits](https://docs.filemonk.io/v2/errors-and-rate-limits/)).

## Example request

```sh
curl -X POST "https://app.filemonk.io/api/v2/external/licences/import" \
  -H "X-Auth-Token: $FILEMONK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "csv": "key,tag\nABCD-EFGH-IJKL-0003,ebook-2026\nABCD-EFGH-IJKL-0004,ebook-2026\n"
  }'
```

## 200

Success: the resource already existed; here it is.

## 201

Created: the new resource.

```json
{
  "created": 2,
  "skipped": 0,
  "sold_skipped": 0,
  "message": "2 licence keys imported successfully."
}
```

## 401

Missing or invalid API key.

```json
{
  "errors": [
    "Invalid API key"
  ]
}
```

## 422

The request failed validation, or sent a key the action does not take (`code: "unknown_parameters"` with `unknown` and `accepted`). Nothing was saved.

```json
{
  "errors": [
    "access.download_limit_count must be an integer of at least 0"
  ],
  "field_errors": {
    "access.download_limit_count": [
      "must be an integer of at least 0"
    ]
  }
}
```

## 429

Rate limited. Cost-weighted per API key, shared with API v1: a read costs 1 point, a write 2, 40 points per fixed 60-second window. Every response carries `X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining` and `X-RateLimit-Reset` (Unix time the window ends); a 429 adds `Retry-After` (seconds), `retry_after`, `retryable: true` and a `next_step` in the body. A 429 did nothing: wait `retry_after` seconds, then send the same request again. The budget is per key, so every tool or script using the key shares it; prefer one list call with `per_page` over many single reads.

```json
{
  "errors": [
    "You have exceeded the rate limit of 40 points per 60 seconds. Read requests cost 1 point(s) and write requests cost 2 point(s). Please retry after 12 second(s)."
  ],
  "code": "rate_limited",
  "retry_after": 12,
  "error": "Rate limit exceeded",
  "message": "You have exceeded the rate limit of 40 points per 60 seconds. Read requests cost 1 point(s) and write requests cost 2 point(s). Please retry after 12 second(s)."
}
```