🌐 What Is a Cloudflare API Token?
A Cloudflare API token is a secure credential that allows third-party tools — like Search Atlas — to interact with your Cloudflare account on your behalf. Unlike your global API key, tokens are scoped to specific permissions, making them safer and easier to manage.
Search Atlas uses your Cloudflare API token to read and update DNS records, which is required for certain site verification and SEO workflows.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: Create Your API Token
- Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard at dash.cloudflare.com.
- Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and select My Profile.
- In the left sidebar, click API Tokens.
- Click the Create Token button.
- Select Create Custom Token at the bottom of the template list.
- Give your token a recognisable name, such as Search Atlas Token.
- Under Permissions, add the required permissions listed in the next section.
- Under Account Resources, set the scope to Include — All accounts, or select your specific account.
- Under Zone Resources, set the scope to Include — All zones, or select the specific zone you want Search Atlas to access.
- Click Continue to Summary, review the settings, then click Create Token.
- Copy the token immediately — Cloudflare will only show it once. Store it somewhere safe before closing the page.
✅ Required Token Permissions
When setting up your custom token, you must add the following permissions exactly as listed. Missing or incorrect permissions will prevent Search Atlas from connecting to your account.
- Zone — DNS — Edit: Allows Search Atlas to read and update DNS records for your zone.
- Zone — Zone — Read: Allows Search Atlas to read zone-level settings and metadata.
To add each permission, click Add permission in the Permissions section, select the correct category, resource, and access level from the dropdown menus.
Note: If Search Atlas prompts you for additional permissions during setup, follow the on-screen instructions — the exact requirements may vary depending on the workflow or feature you are configuring.
🔗 Connect Your Token to Search Atlas
- Log in to your Search Atlas account.
- Navigate to the section of the platform where you are setting up Cloudflare integration (for example, site verification or domain connection).
- When prompted, paste your copied API token into the Cloudflare token input field shown on screen.
- Confirm or save the entry as directed by the on-screen prompt. Search Atlas will validate the token automatically.
If validation fails, double-check that the token permissions match those listed above and that the Zone Resources scope includes the correct domain. If the issue persists, please note the exact error message and the domain you are trying to connect before reaching out for support.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.