InvalidClientTokenId
AWS InvalidClientTokenId (Invalid Client Token Id) means the AWS access key ID or client token does not exist in records. In AWS APIs, this error returns HTTP 403.
Last reviewed: March 18, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Invalid Client Token ID Mean?
When InvalidClientTokenId is returned, authentication fails at credential validation, so all signed requests from that runtime stop until token or key identity is corrected.
Common Causes
- -Access key ID was deleted, deactivated, or never existed in the active account.
- -Runtime uses an unexpected credential source (wrong profile, env var, or role chain).
- -Secret-management rollout updated one credential component but not the matching key/token pair.
- -Automation caches old tokens after rotation and continues signing with invalid identity data.
How to Fix Invalid Client Token ID
- 1Run
aws sts get-caller-identitywith the same runtime credentials to validate identity chain. - 2Inspect credential resolution order and force explicit source where ambiguity exists.
- 3Rotate to a known-good credential set and redeploy all dependent workloads.
- 4Invalidate local/CI credential caches that may reintroduce stale token IDs.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Invalid Client Token ID
- 1Capture request ID, credential source metadata, and redacted key identifier from runtime logs.
- 2Check IAM access key status, last-used data, and principal lifecycle history.
- 3Compare working and failing environments for profile/env/role credential differences.
- 4Trace secret distribution timestamps to detect partial credential rollouts.
Identity Validation
- -Verify active key or certificate identifier exists and is enabled in the expected account (example: rotated access key was disabled but old ID is still deployed).
- -Inspect caller identity chain resolution across env vars, profiles, and role metadata (example:
AWS_PROFILEoverrides intended role credentials).
Credential Source Audit
- -Trace secret rollout consistency for key and secret/token pairs (example: key ID updated in secret store but workload still uses previous secret component).
- -Correlate failing request IDs with credential last-used data (example: no recent use for expected key indicates runtime is loading another provider).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Replay the original request and confirm InvalidClientTokenId is resolved.
- -Verify STS identity checks return expected account and principal in all environments.
- -Confirm credential-related auth failures decline after rollout.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Prefer role-based temporary credentials over long-lived static keys.
- -Automate coordinated key/token rotation with atomic secret updates.
- -Add startup identity assertions that fail fast on unexpected principals.
Pro Tip
- -enforce a preflight
sts:GetCallerIdentitygate in deployment health checks so invalid token IDs are detected before traffic cutover.
Decision Support
Compare Guide
HTTP 400 vs 422: Bad Request vs Unprocessable Content
Fix API payload issues faster by using 400 for malformed syntax and 422 for semantic validation failures, so clients correct format before business rules.
Playbook
Auth Incident Playbook (401 / UNAUTHENTICATED)
Use this playbook to separate missing, expired, or invalid identity proof from authorization and transport failures, and apply credential-source-correct fixes safely.
Playbook
CORS Error Fix Playbook (Preflight / Origin / Credentials)
Use this playbook to separate browser-enforced cross-origin policy failures from server-side CORS header and route defects and apply strict origin and credential controls safely.
Official References
Provider Context
This guidance is specific to AWS services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.