API in starter account

Questions
1

hi
i upgrade my bill to starter account.

i wanted to use the n8n api key to the variables
but its give me error -
Error while saving variable Plan lacks license for this feature

is there other problem or there no n8n api key to starter subscription?

2

Hi @itays Welcome to the n8n community!
The n8n rest API is available on paid plans but not in free trials, so on a starter plan’s settings → n8n API, you should be able to create a new API key, and same with variables starter plan does not cover variables feature for that you need to come on the Pro or Enterprise plan.

3

Hi @itays

  • Yes, n8n API keys are available on paid plans (including Starter), and you should use them via Settings → n8n API.
  • No, the Variables feature is not included in Starter, which is exactly what the error message is telling you.

If you specifically need $vars / global variables, you’d need a plan that includes Custom Variables (Pro Cloud or Self‑hosted Enterprise).

4

hey, the error is specifically about Variables not the API key itself — Variables require Pro plan, that’s not included in Starter. If you just need the API key for external calls that should work fine from Settings → n8n API, but if you’re trying to use $vars in your workflows you’ll need to upgrade to Pro or work around it with static credentials or environment variables if you’re self-hosting.