Set up your PinBridge credential in n8n

Before any PinBridge node can run, it needs a credential that holds your API key. This page shows how to create it, what each field does, and how to confirm it works.

Prerequisites

• The PinBridge node installed. See PinBridge for n8n.
• A PinBridge API key from your project settings.

The credential type

The node uses one credential type, shown in n8n as PinBridge API Key (internal name pinBridgeApi). It has exactly two fields.

Field	Name	Default	Notes
Base URL	baseUrl	https://api.pinbridge.io	The PinBridge API root. Change only for self-hosted.
API Key	apiKey	(empty)	Your key, stored as a password field.

The node sends your key in the X-API-Key header on every request. The PinBridge API also accepts Authorization: Bearer <key> for compatibility, but this node always uses X-API-Key, so paste an API key here, not a user-session token.

Create the credential

1. In any PinBridge node, open the Credential to connect with dropdown and choose Create New Credential. (You can also create it under Credentials → Add credential → PinBridge API Key.)
2. Leave Base URL as https://api.pinbridge.io unless you self-host the PinBridge API.
3. Paste your key into API Key. Use the $PINBRIDGE_API_KEY placeholder here when you copy examples.
4. Click Save.

On save, n8n runs the built-in credential test.

The credential test

The credential test calls GET /v1/pinterest/accounts with your key. This endpoint is a safe first call: it is not plan-gated and returns an empty list ([]) for a workspace with no connected accounts, so a valid key on a brand-new project still passes.

• Test succeeds — your key and base URL are correct. You are ready to build.
• Test fails with 401 — the key is missing or wrong. Recheck the value and that you pasted an API key, not a session token.
• Test fails to connect — the base URL is unreachable. Recheck it (see self-hosted below).

If the test fails, see Troubleshooting.

Self-hosted PinBridge base URL

If you run your own PinBridge API instead of the hosted service, set Base URL to your API root, for example https://pinbridge.internal.example.com. Every request the node makes is appended to this value. All other behavior, including the X-API-Key header and the credential test path, stays the same.

Leave the default https://api.pinbridge.io if you use hosted PinBridge.

Verify it worked

Add a PinBridge node, set Resource to Connection and Operation to List, then execute the node. A successful run returns your connected Pinterest accounts (or an empty list if you have not connected one yet). If you see accounts or an empty array, your credential is good.

Next steps

• Publish your first pin — use the credential in a real flow.
• Node reference — the full list of resources and operations.
• Troubleshooting — credential test and 401 fixes.