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

# Trigger.dev - How do I link my account?

# Overview

To authenticate with the Trigger.dev API, you will need:

1. **Secret Key or Personal Access Token** — A key to authenticate your requests
2. **Project Ref** — Your Trigger.dev project identifier (required when using a PAT)
3. **Environment** — The target environment (required for some PAT operations)
4. **Base URL** — The API base URL (`api.trigger.dev` for cloud, or your self-hosted hostname)
5. **Preview Branch** — The preview branch to target (optional, preview environment only)

This guide walks you through finding each of these values.

### Prerequisites

* A Trigger.dev account.

### Instructions

#### Step 1: Get your secret key or personal access token

Trigger.dev supports two key types. Choose based on your use case:

| Type                        | Prefix                 | When to use                                                                                        |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Secret key                  | `tr_dev_` / `tr_prod_` | Scoped to one project environment. No `projectRef` needed on API calls.                            |
| Personal access token (PAT) | `tr_pat_`              | User-scoped, spans all projects. Requires `projectRef` (and sometimes `environment`) on API calls. |

**To get a secret key:**

1. Select your project from the top-right corner, then select the environment from the dropdown.
2. Go to **Manage** → **API Keys**.
3. Copy the key for the environment you selected.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/nango/K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA/api-integrations/trigger-dev/api_key.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA&q=85&s=df2fc22a24a807164f16c485a8c8bfc1" width="1919" height="617" data-path="api-integrations/trigger-dev/api_key.png" />

**To get a personal access token:**

1. Click the dropdown in the top-left corner and select your account.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/nango/K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA/api-integrations/trigger-dev/profile.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA&q=85&s=6835e81c1908a87c47454ef5a1d1da5b" width="1919" height="314" data-path="api-integrations/trigger-dev/profile.png" />

2. Select **Personal Access Tokens**.
3. Click **Create new token**, give it a name, and copy the generated token (`tr_pat_…`).

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/nango/K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA/api-integrations/trigger-dev/pat.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA&q=85&s=0dcf5db652285eedddbef902d12fed8d" width="1919" height="241" data-path="api-integrations/trigger-dev/pat.png" />

#### Step 2: Find your project ref

Your project ref is the unique identifier for your project. To locate it:

1. Go to **Project settings** → **General**.
2. Copy the value under **Project ref** (e.g. `proj_1234567890`).

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/nango/K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA/api-integrations/trigger-dev/project_ref.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA&q=85&s=ec753fe151204577c872a468d5c2d856" width="1919" height="750" data-path="api-integrations/trigger-dev/project_ref.png" />

#### Step 3: Find your environment

The environment identifies which environment to target. Valid values are `dev`, `staging`, `prod`, and `preview`. This is only required when using a PAT for environment-specific operations such as managing environment variables.

#### Step 4: Set your base URL

Enter the hostname for your Trigger.dev instance:

* **Cloud**: `api.trigger.dev`
* **Self-hosted**: your own hostname (e.g. `trigger.example.com`)

#### Step 5: Set your preview branch

If you are targeting the `preview` environment and need to scope operations to a specific branch, enter the branch name (e.g. `feature-xyz`). This field is optional and has no effect outside the preview environment.

#### Step 6: Enter credentials in the Connect UI

1. Open the form where you need to authenticate with Trigger.dev.
2. Enter your **Secret Key or PAT**, and optionally your **Project Ref**, **Environment**, **Base URL**, and **Preview Branch**.
3. Submit the form to connect your account.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/nango/K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA/api-integrations/trigger-dev/form.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=K4SLfKJVck2j2_nA&q=85&s=093669861aacdb831b0d61bc8e06bf7e" style={{maxWidth: "450px" }} width="499" height="700" data-path="api-integrations/trigger-dev/form.png" />

You are now connected to Trigger.dev.

***