> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.aptible.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Membership

> Add users, robots, and API keys to grants so they can call tools through the gateway.

## Overview

Membership is how identities get attached to [grants](/mcp-gateway/grants). The gateway supports three types of members:

| Type        | What it is                                   | How it authenticates          |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **User**    | A person with an Aptible account             | Session token or user API key |
| **Robot**   | A non-human account for pipelines and agents | Robot API key (bearer token)  |
| **API Key** | A scoped token tied to a user account        | Bearer token                  |

All three types are added to grants the same way and are subject to the same access rules. Every call they make is written to the [audit log](/mcp-gateway/audit-logs).

<Info>
  Account Owner or Admin permission is required to add and manage users and robots. Any user can create their own API key.
</Info>

## Robots

Robots are non-human accounts for automated pipelines and agents. They authenticate to the gateway with a bearer token and are attached to grants the same way user accounts are. Everything a robot calls is checked against its grants and written to the audit log.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/aptible/hQ2bFHGVxNRuw0z6/images/MCP-Robots-1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=hQ2bFHGVxNRuw0z6&q=85&s=3d20530d81faf558f0e50c794003184d" alt="MCP Robots" width="1280" height="720" data-path="images/MCP-Robots-1.png" />
</Frame>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Create a robot (Admins only)">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the Robots page">
        In the Aptible dashboard, navigate to **MCP > Robots**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Create the robot">
        Enter a name and click **Create Robot User**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Generate an API key">
        Open the robot and click **+ Create API Key** to generate a token.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Robots appear in the **Users & Robots** selector on the Grant Details panel. Add them to a grant the same way you'd add a user.

## User API Keys

Any user can create an API key to authenticate to the gateway without using their Aptible session token. In the Aptible dashboard, navigate to **MCP > API Keys** to create and manage them.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/aptible/PDjQoX1Dzfs96Mzz/images/MCP---API-Key.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=PDjQoX1Dzfs96Mzz&q=85&s=679979fa31876e0e6f2a1cf26f59867e" alt="MCP API Key" width="1280" height="720" data-path="images/MCP---API-Key.png" />
</Frame>

## Authenticating to the Gateway

Both robot tokens and user API keys are passed as a bearer token in the `Authorization` header when connecting an MCP client to the gateway endpoint:

```text theme={null}
Authorization: Bearer <token>
```

For a full walkthrough of how to connect your MCP client to the gateway, see [Connecting to MCP Gateway](/mcp-gateway/connect).

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connecting to MCP Gateway" href="/mcp-gateway/connect">
    Step-by-step guide for end users to get connected.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Grants" href="/mcp-gateway/grants">
    Attach members to a grant to give them tool access.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>