How to Connect Kraken with a Query-Only API Key (2026 Guide)

Guides · November 3, 2026 · Satoshi Note

If you keep coins on Kraken and also on Coinbase, Binance or a hardware wallet, a one-time API key lets a portfolio tracker read your Kraken balances and trade history and put them in the same table. Kraken's key page is one of the clearer ones: every permission is a separate checkbox, so a read-only key is just a matter of ticking the right three. This guide walks through creating that key and pasting it into Satoshi Note. It takes about five minutes and costs nothing.

Two things first. One, the key you create here has only Query permissions. Orders, withdrawals and deposits stay off, so the key cannot sell or move your coins. Satoshi Note tests every key before saving it and rejects keys with trading or withdrawal permission (What is a read-only API key?). Two, Kraken left the Japanese market in early 2023 and is not registered with Korean regulators, so this connection is for accounts in supported countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and the EU.

At a glance

Connecting Kraken takes three steps: sign in at kraken.com, open profile › Settings › API (shortcut kraken.com/u/security/api) › "Create API key", tick only "Query funds", "Query closed orders & trades" and "Query ledger entries"; paste the "API Key" and the "Private Key" into Satoshi Note under Settings › Connect exchanges › Global › Kraken; pass the "verifying account" check before saving.
Common snags: the Private Key is shown once, a key with "Create & modify orders" or "Withdraw funds" ticked is rejected, Kraken's rate limit makes the first sync take a minute or two, and Kraken Pro users find the same page at pro.kraken.com › Settings › API.
In Satoshi Note (TokenPost's free crypto portfolio tracker with read-only sync for 18 exchanges), Kraken spot fills quoted in USD, EUR, GBP, JPY or dollar stablecoins then sit in one table with your other exchanges. Deposits and withdrawals are not imported.

Three things to know before you start

Permissions are individual checkboxes. Kraken does not have a single "read-only" switch. You tick exactly the permissions the key needs, and the three Query boxes below are enough to read balances and trade history.
The Private Key is shown only once. It is one long base64 line, usually ending in ==. Close the page and it is gone. If you lose it, delete the key and generate a new one; nothing else is affected.
Kraken's API rate limit is tight. Satoshi Note pauses between pages when it reads your history, so an account with many fills can take one to two minutes on the first sync. Later syncs only fetch new trades and are quick.

Step 1 — Open the API page

In a desktop browser, sign in at kraken.com, click your profile at the top right and go to "Settings" → "API" tab → "Create API key". The shortcut is kraken.com/u/security/api. If you use the Kraken Pro interface, the same page is at pro.kraken.com → Settings → API. If you pick Kraken in Satoshi Note's in-app exchange connection guide, the same path and the boxes to tick are shown on one screen, so it helps to keep that open beside you.

Step 2 — Permissions: the three Query boxes only

On the "Create API key" form:

Key description: anything you will recognise later, such as SatoshiNote.
Permissions: tick "Query funds", "Query closed orders & trades" and "Query ledger entries". Leave "Create & modify orders", "Withdraw funds" and "Deposit funds" off. You do not need "Query open orders & trades" either.
Nonce window: a value around 5000 avoids spurious "invalid nonce" errors when the tracker and another app use the account.
IP restriction: optional. If you want one, paste the server IP from the "Copy IP" button on the Satoshi Note guide. Syncing works without it too.

Click "Generate key". The page shows the API Key and the Private Key.

Step 3 — Copy the API Key and the Private Key

Copy the two strings separately and in full. The Private Key is one long line; make sure the trailing = characters come with it. This is the only time Kraken shows the Private Key, so paste it into Satoshi Note before you leave the page, or keep it somewhere safe for a minute.

Step 4 — Paste the keys into Satoshi Note

Sign in to Satoshi Note at satoshinote.io, open Settings → Connect exchanges, stay on the Global tab and pick Kraken. Paste the API Key and the Private Key into their fields. The app verifies the account, pulls your fills page by page, and builds your records. Your Kraken holdings appear with quantity, average cost and unrealized P&L per asset, side by side with any other exchange you have connected. Keys are stored encrypted on the Satoshi Note server and used only to query the exchange.

Once connected, you can also receive the same numbers as a daily email report.

What gets imported — spot fills in fiat and dollar stablecoins

The Kraken import has a known scope, and it is narrower than Coinbase's.

Spot fills quoted in USD, EUR, GBP or JPY, plus fills quoted in USDT, USDC, DAI or PYUSD (treated as USD), are imported. Amounts are converted to KRW at the bank rate (European Central Bank reference) on the trade date.
Fills quoted in CHF, CAD or AUD and coin-to-coin pairs such as ETH/BTC are skipped, because their cost basis cannot be determined.
Deposits and withdrawals are not imported. Kraken's ledger does not carry a price at the moment of transfer, so there is nothing to record as a cost. Balance reconciliation fills the quantity gap, and you can enter the cost of deposited coins by hand in the calendar.
Staking rewards, margin and futures positions are not recorded.
The first sync reads your most recent fills first, up to about 3,000 trades. Later syncs pick up only what is new.

Common snags

The "verifying account" step says the key is wrong.

Check two things. 1) The Private Key was pasted in full, including the = characters at the end. 2) The key has "Query funds" ticked; a key without it cannot read balances and fails the check. The key list under Settings › API shows each key's permissions.

It says the key has trading or withdrawal permission.

"Create & modify orders", "Withdraw funds" or "Deposit funds" was ticked. Kraken keys cannot be edited after creation, so delete that key under Settings › API and generate a new one with the three Query boxes only.

The first sync is taking a long time.

That is the rate limit. Kraken allows only a few history calls per second, and Satoshi Note waits a few seconds between pages so the sync finishes instead of failing. An account with thousands of fills can take two minutes. Leave the page open or come back later; the result is the same.

Can I use this from Korea or Japan?

Kraken left Japan in early 2023 and is not registered with Korean regulators, so most residents there do not have an account to connect. This walkthrough is for Kraken users in supported countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and the EU.

FAQ

Why three Query permissions and not just one?

Each covers a different endpoint. "Query funds" reads balances, "Query closed orders & trades" reads your trade history, and "Query ledger entries" lets the tracker reconcile quantity differences. None of them can place an order or move a coin.

Should I set an IP restriction?

It is optional. With it, the key only works from the Satoshi Note server, which is the safest setting; without it, syncing still works. Either way, the three Query permissions already prevent trading and withdrawals.

Can anyone withdraw my coins with this key?

No. A key without "Withdraw funds" cannot create a withdrawal, and a key without "Create & modify orders" cannot trade; Kraken blocks both on its side. Satoshi Note also refuses to store any key that has trading or withdrawal permission.

Using other exchanges too?

If you also trade on Coinbase, Binance or Bybit, add a key for each the same way and everything lands in one table. We have separate walkthroughs for Coinbase, Binance, OKX and Bybit, and the in-app exchange connection guide covers all 18 supported exchanges.

Satoshi Note is free. Read-only API keys only. The site is satoshinote.io.