How to Connect OKX with a Read-Only API Key (2026 Guide)

Guides · October 27, 2026 · Satoshi Note

If you hold coins on OKX next to Binance, Coinbase or a Korean exchange, the way to see them in one table is a one-time API key that a portfolio tracker can use to read your balances and fills. This guide walks through creating that key on OKX and pasting it into Satoshi Note. It takes about five minutes and costs nothing.

One thing first: the key you create here is a read-only key with only the Read permission ticked. Trade and Withdraw stay off, so the key cannot sell or move your coins. Satoshi Note tests every key before saving it and rejects keys that have trade or withdrawal permission. The longer explanation is in What is a read-only API key?.

At a glance

Connecting OKX takes three steps: on okx.com go to profile icon › API, click "Create API key", set a name and a Passphrase, tick only "Read", add the Satoshi Note server IP and create; paste the API Key, Secret Key and Passphrase into Satoshi Note under Settings › Connect exchanges › Global › OKX; pass the "verifying account" check before saving.
Common snags: OKX needs a Passphrase that you choose and must remember, keys created without an IP address are deleted by OKX after a period of no use, the Secret Key is shown once, and only the last 3 months of USDT/USDC spot fills are imported.
In Satoshi Note (TokenPost's free crypto portfolio tracker with read-only sync for 18 exchanges), OKX holdings, average cost and P&L then sit in one table with your other exchanges.

Three things to know before you start

You choose a Passphrase. Most exchange keys are two strings, a key and a secret. An OKX key has a third one, a Passphrase that you type when creating the key. It is required with every request, and OKX will not show it to you again. Write it down next to the keys the moment you set it.
Register the server IP. OKX will create a key with no IP address, but it deletes such keys after a period of no use. The IP to enter is not your PC or phone. It is the Satoshi Note server, which queries OKX on your behalf. The address is printed on the connection guide inside the app next to a "Copy IP" button.
The Secret Key is shown only once. Close the page and it is gone. You would have to create a new key, so copy it the moment it appears.

Step 1 — Open the API page on OKX

Sign in at okx.com in a desktop browser and go to the profile icon (top right) → API. If you pick OKX in Satoshi Note's in-app exchange connection guide, the same path, the server IP to register and the permission to tick are shown on one screen, so it helps to keep that open beside you.

Step 2 — Create the key: name, Passphrase, permissions

Click "Create API key". The form asks for:

A name you will recognise later, such as "SatoshiNote".
A Passphrase. This is the string you will paste into Satoshi Note together with the keys, so note it down now.
Permissions: tick "Read" only. Leave Trade and Withdraw off. A portfolio tracker needs balances and fill history, nothing else.
IP address: paste the address you copied with the "Copy IP" button on the Satoshi Note guide.

Submit, and OKX asks for email or OTP verification once more.

Step 3 — Copy the API Key, Secret Key and Passphrase

After verification OKX shows the API Key and the Secret Key. Copy both now. The Secret Key will not be shown again. Together with the Passphrase from step 2 you now have the three pieces the next step needs.

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 OKX. Paste the API Key, Secret Key and Passphrase into their fields. Within a few seconds the app verifies the account, pulls recent fills, and builds your records. Your OKX 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 — the last 3 months, USDT/USDC pairs only

The OKX import has a known scope, and the same text appears in the "What is imported" box under OKX in Settings › Connect exchanges.

Only the last 3 months of fills. The OKX API returns spot fill history for the last three months only. After you connect, auto-sync keeps collecting new fills, but trades older than three months have to be entered manually in the calendar for your average cost to be right.
Spot fills only. Futures and margin trades are not recorded.
USDT and USDC quoted pairs only. Fills such as BTC/USDT come through; coin-to-coin fills such as ETH/BTC are skipped because their cost basis cannot be determined.
Fills are priced in USDT and converted to KRW at the Upbit KRW-USDT rate at the time of the trade.

Common snags

The key fails at the "verifying account" step.

Three things have to be right at once on OKX: the API Key and Secret Key, the Passphrase, and the IP address registered on the key, which must match the server IP on Satoshi Note's guide page. The key detail page on OKX shows the registered IP. A forgotten Passphrase cannot be recovered, so creating a new key the same way is faster than searching for it.

What if I ticked more than "Read"?

Satoshi Note rejects keys with trade or withdrawal permission during the test before saving. Edit the key on OKX to leave only "Read", or create a new one.

Trades older than 3 months are missing.

That is expected. The OKX API does not return fills older than three months. Coins bought before that show up in the balance but have no fill history, so they are recorded as a deposit; enter them in the calendar at the price you paid and the average cost will line up.

FAQ

Do OKX keys expire?

A key created without an IP address is deleted by OKX after a period of no use. A key with the server IP registered keeps working. Satoshi Note queries OKX regularly through auto-sync once connected, so registering the IP is all you need.

No. It is a separate string you invent for this key when creating it. Use something different from your login password. Satoshi Note needs it together with the API Key and Secret Key.

Can anyone withdraw my coins with this key?

No. A key with only "Read" can view balances and fill history; orders and withdrawals are blocked on OKX's side. Satoshi Note also refuses to store any key that has trade or withdrawal permission.

Using other exchanges too?

If you also trade on Bybit or Binance, add a key for each the same way and everything lands in one table. We have separate walkthroughs for Bybit, Binance and Upbit, 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.