diff --git a/.github/codeql/codeql-config.yml b/.github/codeql/codeql-config.yml
index 7898293e..eb7f5682 100644
--- a/.github/codeql/codeql-config.yml
+++ b/.github/codeql/codeql-config.yml
@@ -1,2 +1,15 @@
 data_extensions:
   - .github/codeql/extensions/safeLog.model.yml
+
+query-filters:
+  # API tokens are 256-bit CSPRNG random; sha256 of the raw token is the
+  # correct construction. js/insufficient-password-hash exists to catch weak
+  # hashing of low-entropy human passwords, which is irrelevant for these
+  # high-entropy opaque keys. Scoped to the token-handling files only, so
+  # real user-password code (bcrypt-hashed elsewhere) is still analyzed.
+  - exclude:
+      id: js/insufficient-password-hash
+      paths:
+        - backend/src/utils/apiTokenFormat.ts
+        - backend/src/routes/apiTokens.ts
+        - backend/src/__tests__/**
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/api-token-format.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/api-token-format.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8564db85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/api-token-format.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  API_TOKEN_PREFIX,
+  API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN,
+  API_TOKEN_REGEX,
+  generateApiToken,
+  looksLikeApiToken,
+  verifyApiTokenChecksum,
+} from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
+
+describe('apiTokenFormat.generateApiToken', () => {
+  it('emits tokens with the sen_sk_ prefix', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    expect(token.startsWith(API_TOKEN_PREFIX)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('emits tokens of exactly 56 characters', () => {
+    expect(generateApiToken().length).toBe(API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN);
+    expect(API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN).toBe(56);
+  });
+
+  it('emits tokens that match the canonical regex', () => {
+    expect(API_TOKEN_REGEX.test(generateApiToken())).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('uses only base62 characters in the body (no dashes, no underscores)', () => {
+    const body = generateApiToken().slice(API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length);
+    expect(/^[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.test(body)).toBe(true);
+    expect(body.includes('-')).toBe(false);
+    expect(body.includes('_')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('apiTokenFormat.verifyApiTokenChecksum (accept path)', () => {
+  it('accepts a freshly generated token', () => {
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(generateApiToken())).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('apiTokenFormat.looksLikeApiToken / verifyApiTokenChecksum (reject path)', () => {
+  it('rejects an empty string', () => {
+    expect(looksLikeApiToken('')).toBe(false);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum('')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a JWT-shaped token', () => {
+    const jwtLike = 'eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzY29wZSI6ImFwaV90b2tlbiJ9.signature';
+    expect(looksLikeApiToken(jwtLike)).toBe(false);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(jwtLike)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a token with the wrong prefix', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    const swapped = 'sen_pk_' + token.slice(API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length);
+    expect(looksLikeApiToken(swapped)).toBe(false);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(swapped)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a token with one character truncated', () => {
+    const truncated = generateApiToken().slice(0, -1);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(truncated)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a token with one extra character', () => {
+    const longer = generateApiToken() + 'A';
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(longer)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a token containing a dash', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    const mutated = token.slice(0, 20) + '-' + token.slice(21);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(mutated)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a token containing an underscore in the body', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    const mutated = token.slice(0, 30) + '_' + token.slice(31);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(mutated)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a single-char mutation inside the random portion', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    const mutateAt = API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length + 5;
+    const original = token[mutateAt];
+    const replacement = original === 'a' ? 'b' : 'a';
+    const mutated = token.slice(0, mutateAt) + replacement + token.slice(mutateAt + 1);
+    expect(mutated).not.toBe(token);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(mutated)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a single-char mutation inside the checksum portion', () => {
+    const token = generateApiToken();
+    const mutateAt = API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN - 3;
+    const original = token[mutateAt];
+    const replacement = original === 'a' ? 'b' : 'a';
+    const mutated = token.slice(0, mutateAt) + replacement + token.slice(mutateAt + 1);
+    expect(mutated).not.toBe(token);
+    expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(mutated)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('apiTokenFormat: bulk generator integrity', () => {
+  it('produces 10000 tokens with no collisions and all valid checksums', () => {
+    const seen = new Set<string>();
+    const iterations = 10_000;
+    for (let i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+      const token = generateApiToken();
+      expect(verifyApiTokenChecksum(token)).toBe(true);
+      seen.add(token);
+    }
+    expect(seen.size).toBe(iterations);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/api-tokens.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/api-tokens.test.ts
index 76c2184c..68c3d163 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/api-tokens.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/api-tokens.test.ts
@@ -4,23 +4,23 @@
  */
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, vi } from 'vitest';
 import request from 'supertest';
-import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import bcrypt from 'bcrypt';
-import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, loginAsTestAdmin, TEST_JWT_SECRET } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, loginAsTestAdmin } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 let tmpDir: string;
 let app: import('express').Express;
 let DatabaseService: typeof import('../services/DatabaseService').DatabaseService;
 let authCookie: string;
 
-/** Create an API token directly in the DB and return its raw JWT string. */
+/** Create an API token directly in the DB and return its raw value. */
 function createTestApiToken(
   scope: 'read-only' | 'deploy-only' | 'full-admin',
   expiresAt: number | null = null,
   userId?: number,
 ): string {
-  const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+  const rawToken = generateApiToken();
   const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
   const db = DatabaseService.getInstance();
   const resolvedUserId = userId ?? db.getUserByUsername('testadmin')!.id;
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/auto-heal-routes.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/auto-heal-routes.test.ts
index f164c2c5..c286d233 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/auto-heal-routes.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/auto-heal-routes.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import bcrypt from 'bcrypt';
 import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, TEST_JWT_SECRET, TEST_USERNAME } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 import { PROXY_TIER_HEADER, PROXY_VARIANT_HEADER } from '../services/license-headers';
 
 let tmpDir: string;
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ function userToken(username: string): string {
 }
 
 function createApiToken(scope: 'read-only' | 'deploy-only' | 'full-admin'): string {
-    const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '5m' });
+    const rawToken = generateApiToken();
     const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
     const admin = DatabaseService.getInstance().getUserByUsername(TEST_USERNAME);
     if (!admin?.id) throw new Error('missing seeded admin');
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/helpers/apiTokenTestHelper.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/helpers/apiTokenTestHelper.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5253bda2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/helpers/apiTokenTestHelper.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import crypto from 'crypto';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../../utils/apiTokenFormat';
+import type { DatabaseService } from '../../services/DatabaseService';
+
+type DbClass = typeof DatabaseService;
+
+export interface CreateTestApiTokenOptions {
+  db: DbClass;
+  scope: 'read-only' | 'deploy-only' | 'full-admin';
+  userId: number;
+  name?: string;
+  expiresAt?: number | null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Generate a `sen_sk_` API token and insert a backing row into `api_tokens`,
+ * mirroring what `routes/apiTokens.ts` does in production. Returns the raw
+ * token (only secret value the test sees; the DB stores its sha256).
+ */
+export function createTestApiToken(opts: CreateTestApiTokenOptions): string {
+  const raw = generateApiToken();
+  const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(raw).digest('hex');
+  opts.db.getInstance().addApiToken({
+    token_hash: tokenHash,
+    name: opts.name ?? `test-${opts.scope}-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)}`,
+    scope: opts.scope,
+    user_id: opts.userId,
+    created_at: Date.now(),
+    expires_at: opts.expiresAt ?? null,
+  });
+  return raw;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Produce a well-formed `sen_sk_` token that has no matching DB row. The
+ * auth layer should reject it at the row-lookup step — useful for asserting
+ * unbacked tokens are not honoured.
+ */
+export function unbackedApiToken(): string {
+  return generateApiToken();
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/remote-console-session.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/remote-console-session.test.ts
index 8402d059..86e9c8b8 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/remote-console-session.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/remote-console-session.test.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest';
 import request from 'supertest';
 import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
-import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, TEST_USERNAME, TEST_JWT_SECRET, loginAsTestAdmin } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, TEST_JWT_SECRET, loginAsTestAdmin } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
 import { mintConsoleSession } from '../helpers/consoleSession';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 describe('console_session token parity (HTTP route vs mint helper)', () => {
   let tmpDir: string;
@@ -85,10 +86,11 @@ describe('console_session token parity (HTTP route vs mint helper)', () => {
 
   it('rejects API-token callers of POST /api/system/console-token (rejectApiTokenScope)', async () => {
     // Mint a JWT that claims the api_token scope but is not backed by a real
-    // row in the database. The authMiddleware rejects this at the api_token
-    // branch before the route handler runs, which is the behavior we want:
-    // an API token should never be allowed to mint a console session.
-    const fakeApiToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', username: TEST_USERNAME }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1m' });
+    // row in the database. authMiddleware accepts the sen_sk_ format and
+    // rejects at the row-lookup step before the route handler runs, which
+    // is the behavior we want: an API token should never be allowed to mint
+    // a console session.
+    const fakeApiToken = generateApiToken();
     const res = await request(app)
       .post('/api/system/console-token')
       .set('Authorization', `Bearer ${fakeApiToken}`);
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/sso.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/sso.test.ts
index 74fe4570..6089e556 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/sso.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/sso.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import supertest from 'supertest';
 import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import type { Express } from 'express';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 let tmpDir: string;
 let app: Express;
@@ -583,7 +584,7 @@ describe('SSO Config - API Token Denied', () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     const { DatabaseService } = await import('../services/DatabaseService');
     const db = DatabaseService.getInstance();
-    apiRawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+    apiRawToken = generateApiToken();
     const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(apiRawToken).digest('hex');
     const admin = db.getUserByUsername('testadmin');
     db.addApiToken({ token_hash: tokenHash, name: `sso-scope-${Date.now()}`, scope: 'full-admin', user_id: admin!.id, created_at: Date.now(), expires_at: null });
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/upgrade-order.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/upgrade-order.test.ts
index c76abc9b..06848f5b 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/upgrade-order.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/upgrade-order.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import type { AddressInfo } from 'net';
 import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, TEST_USERNAME, TEST_JWT_SECRET } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 describe('WebSocket upgrade dispatch order', () => {
   let tmpDir: string;
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ describe('WebSocket upgrade dispatch order', () => {
 
     it('accepts a full-admin api_token at the upgrade and reaches the handler', async () => {
       const { DatabaseService } = await import('../services/DatabaseService');
-      const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+      const rawToken = generateApiToken();
       const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
       const adminId = DatabaseService.getInstance().getUserByUsername(TEST_USERNAME)!.id;
       DatabaseService.getInstance().addApiToken({
@@ -192,7 +193,7 @@ describe('WebSocket upgrade dispatch order', () => {
 
     it('rejects a read-only api_token at the upgrade with HTTP 403', async () => {
       const { DatabaseService } = await import('../services/DatabaseService');
-      const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+      const rawToken = generateApiToken();
       const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
       const adminId = DatabaseService.getInstance().getUserByUsername(TEST_USERNAME)!.id;
       DatabaseService.getInstance().addApiToken({
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/users-rbac.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/users-rbac.test.ts
index d12ea767..ebaea777 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/users-rbac.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/users-rbac.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import bcrypt from 'bcrypt';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import { setupTestDb, cleanupTestDb, TEST_USERNAME, TEST_PASSWORD, TEST_JWT_SECRET } from './helpers/setupTestDb';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 let tmpDir: string;
 let app: import('express').Express;
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ describe('POST /api/users', () => {
   });
 
   it('blocks API tokens (403 SCOPE_DENIED)', async () => {
-    const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+    const rawToken = generateApiToken();
     const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
     const db = DatabaseService.getInstance();
     const user = db.getUserByUsername(TEST_USERNAME);
@@ -473,7 +474,7 @@ describe('PUT /api/auth/password', () => {
   });
 
   it('blocks API tokens (403)', async () => {
-    const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, TEST_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });
+    const rawToken = generateApiToken();
     const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
     const db = DatabaseService.getInstance();
     const user = db.getUserByUsername(TEST_USERNAME);
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/auth.ts b/backend/src/middleware/auth.ts
index 8de38a53..563cdc48 100644
--- a/backend/src/middleware/auth.ts
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/auth.ts
@@ -23,14 +23,15 @@ import {
   MFA_PENDING_TTL_MS,
 } from '../helpers/constants';
 import { getCookieOptions } from '../helpers/cookies';
+import { looksLikeApiToken, verifyApiTokenChecksum } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 /**
  * Authenticate a request via cookie session or Bearer token.
  *
- * Handles five scopes: user-session (cookie or bearer), api_token,
- * mfa_pending, node_proxy, pilot_tunnel. Bearer token is preferred when both
- * are present so node-to-node proxy calls aren't shadowed by a stale
- * cross-instance cookie.
+ * Handles five auth modes: opaque sen_sk_ API tokens (routed before any JWT
+ * work) plus the JWT-backed user-session, mfa_pending, node_proxy, and
+ * pilot_tunnel scopes. Bearer token is preferred over cookie so node-to-node
+ * proxy calls aren't shadowed by a stale cross-instance cookie.
  */
 export const authMiddleware: RequestHandler = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction): Promise<void> => {
   const cookieToken = req.cookies[COOKIE_NAME];
@@ -45,25 +46,29 @@ export const authMiddleware: RequestHandler = async (req: Request, res: Response
   }
 
   try {
-    const settings = DatabaseService.getInstance().getGlobalSettings();
-    const jwtSecret = settings.auth_jwt_secret;
-    if (!jwtSecret) throw new Error('No JWT secret');
-    const decoded = jwt.verify(token, jwtSecret) as { username?: string; role?: string; scope?: string; tv?: number; user_id?: number; sso?: boolean };
-
-    if (isDebugEnabled()) console.log('[Auth:diag] Token type:', bearerToken ? 'bearer' : 'cookie', 'scope:', decoded.scope || 'user-session');
-
-    // API token path: scope-based programmatic access
-    if (decoded.scope === 'api_token') {
+    // Opaque sen_sk_ API tokens: scope-based programmatic access. Routed
+    // before jwt.verify so the JWT path stays focused on session, mfa_pending,
+    // node_proxy, and pilot_tunnel. Steps 1-3 (prefix, length, checksum)
+    // reject malformed/typoed keys without touching SQLite.
+    if (looksLikeApiToken(token)) {
+      // Uniform 401 message across malformed-checksum, unknown-hash, and
+      // expired/revoked paths so the response body is not a token-existence
+      // oracle. Debug logs still capture the specific reason.
+      if (!verifyApiTokenChecksum(token)) {
+        if (isDebugEnabled()) console.log('[Auth:diag] API token rejected: checksum');
+        res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid or expired token' });
+        return;
+      }
       const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(token).digest('hex');
       const apiToken = DatabaseService.getInstance().getApiTokenByHash(tokenHash);
       if (!apiToken || apiToken.revoked_at) {
         if (isDebugEnabled()) console.log('[Auth:diag] API token rejected: not found or revoked');
-        res.status(401).json({ error: 'API token not found or revoked' });
+        res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid or expired token' });
         return;
       }
       if (apiToken.expires_at && apiToken.expires_at < Date.now()) {
         if (isDebugEnabled()) console.log('[Auth:diag] API token rejected: expired');
-        res.status(401).json({ error: 'API token has expired' });
+        res.status(401).json({ error: 'Invalid or expired token' });
         return;
       }
       DatabaseService.getInstance().updateApiTokenLastUsed(apiToken.id);
@@ -79,6 +84,13 @@ export const authMiddleware: RequestHandler = async (req: Request, res: Response
       return;
     }
 
+    const settings = DatabaseService.getInstance().getGlobalSettings();
+    const jwtSecret = settings.auth_jwt_secret;
+    if (!jwtSecret) throw new Error('No JWT secret');
+    const decoded = jwt.verify(token, jwtSecret) as { username?: string; role?: string; scope?: string; tv?: number; user_id?: number; sso?: boolean };
+
+    if (isDebugEnabled()) console.log('[Auth:diag] Token type:', bearerToken ? 'bearer' : 'cookie', 'scope:', decoded.scope || 'user-session');
+
     // Partial-auth session: a password/SSO credential has verified, but the
     // TOTP second factor is still required. Such a token can only be used to
     // complete the MFA challenge or to abort the flow by logging out. Every
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/rateLimiters.ts b/backend/src/middleware/rateLimiters.ts
index c0c82ff4..26fb6fef 100644
--- a/backend/src/middleware/rateLimiters.ts
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/rateLimiters.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import type { Request } from 'express';
 import rateLimit, { ipKeyGenerator } from 'express-rate-limit';
 import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
+import { createHash } from 'crypto';
 import { COOKIE_NAME } from '../helpers/constants';
 import { WEBHOOK_TRIGGER_RE } from '../helpers/routePatterns';
+import { looksLikeApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 // ── Rate Limiting ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 //
@@ -42,8 +44,15 @@ function isNodeProxyRequest(req: Request): boolean {
     cached._isNodeProxy = false;
     return false;
   }
+  const bearer = auth.slice(7);
+  // Opaque API tokens are never node_proxy credentials, and they are not
+  // JWTs — short-circuit so `jwt.decode` is never invoked on them.
+  if (looksLikeApiToken(bearer)) {
+    cached._isNodeProxy = false;
+    return false;
+  }
   try {
-    const decoded = jwt.decode(auth.slice(7)) as { scope?: string } | null;
+    const decoded = jwt.decode(bearer) as { scope?: string } | null;
     const result = decoded?.scope === 'node_proxy';
     cached._isNodeProxy = result;
     return result;
@@ -68,8 +77,16 @@ function rateLimitKeyGenerator(req: Request): string {
   }
   const auth = req.headers.authorization;
   if (auth?.startsWith('Bearer ')) {
+    const bearer = auth.slice(7);
+    // Opaque API tokens key by a non-reversible hash slice of the token
+    // itself: each token gets its own rate-limit budget without a DB hit on
+    // the hot path (this runs before authMiddleware).
+    if (looksLikeApiToken(bearer)) {
+      const slice = createHash('sha256').update(bearer).digest('hex').slice(0, 16);
+      return `user:sk:${slice}`;
+    }
     try {
-      const decoded = jwt.decode(auth.slice(7)) as { username?: string; sub?: string } | null;
+      const decoded = jwt.decode(bearer) as { username?: string; sub?: string } | null;
       if (decoded?.username) return `user:${decoded.username}`;
       if (decoded?.sub) return `user:${decoded.sub}`;
     } catch { /* fall through to IP */ }
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/apiTokens.ts b/backend/src/routes/apiTokens.ts
index b1360b93..92472d10 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/apiTokens.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/apiTokens.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { Router, type Request, type Response } from 'express';
-import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import { DatabaseService, type ApiTokenScope } from '../services/DatabaseService';
 import { authMiddleware } from '../middleware/auth';
@@ -7,10 +6,8 @@ import { requireAdmin, requireAdmiral } from '../middleware/tierGates';
 import { rejectApiTokenScope } from '../middleware/apiTokenScope';
 import { isDebugEnabled } from '../utils/debug';
 import { parseIntParam } from '../utils/parseIntParam';
+import { generateApiToken } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
-// JWT ceiling exceeds the longest user-selectable expiry (365d) so the DB
-// check (expires_at) is always the tighter bound.
-const API_TOKEN_JWT_CEILING = '400d';
 const MAX_ACTIVE_TOKENS_PER_USER = 25;
 
 const API_TOKEN_SCOPE_MESSAGE = 'API tokens cannot manage other API tokens.';
@@ -43,13 +40,6 @@ apiTokensRouter.post('/', authMiddleware, async (req: Request, res: Response): P
     }
     const expiresAt = typeof expires_in === 'number' ? Date.now() + expires_in * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 : null;
 
-    const settings = DatabaseService.getInstance().getGlobalSettings();
-    const jwtSecret = settings.auth_jwt_secret;
-    if (!jwtSecret) {
-      res.status(500).json({ error: 'No JWT secret configured.' });
-      return;
-    }
-
     const db = DatabaseService.getInstance();
     const user = db.getUserByUsername(req.user!.username);
     if (!user) {
@@ -68,7 +58,7 @@ apiTokensRouter.post('/', authMiddleware, async (req: Request, res: Response): P
       return;
     }
 
-    const rawToken = jwt.sign({ scope: 'api_token', sub: user.username, jti: crypto.randomUUID() }, jwtSecret, { expiresIn: API_TOKEN_JWT_CEILING });
+    const rawToken = generateApiToken();
     const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(rawToken).digest('hex');
 
     const id = db.addApiToken({
diff --git a/backend/src/utils/apiTokenFormat.ts b/backend/src/utils/apiTokenFormat.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..04fa8ade
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/utils/apiTokenFormat.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { createHash, randomInt, timingSafeEqual } from 'crypto';
+
+// Sencho secret key prefix. Tokens issued from Settings → API are opaque
+// (not JWTs): a base62 random body plus a base62 checksum so malformed or
+// typoed keys are rejected before any SQLite lookup, and so secret scanners
+// (GitHub, TruffleHog, GitGuardian) have a recognisable signature.
+export const API_TOKEN_PREFIX = 'sen_sk_';
+
+const RANDOM_LEN = 43;
+const CHECKSUM_LEN = 6;
+
+export const API_TOKEN_BODY_LEN = RANDOM_LEN + CHECKSUM_LEN;
+export const API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN = API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length + API_TOKEN_BODY_LEN;
+export const API_TOKEN_REGEX = /^sen_sk_[A-Za-z0-9]{49}$/;
+
+const ALPHABET = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789';
+
+function base62Encode32(value: number): string {
+  let n = value >>> 0;
+  let out = '';
+  for (let i = 0; i < CHECKSUM_LEN; i++) {
+    out = ALPHABET[n % 62] + out;
+    n = Math.floor(n / 62);
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+function computeChecksum(random: string): string {
+  const hash = createHash('sha256').update(random).digest();
+  return base62Encode32(hash.readUInt32BE(0));
+}
+
+export function generateApiToken(): string {
+  let random = '';
+  for (let i = 0; i < RANDOM_LEN; i++) {
+    random += ALPHABET[randomInt(0, 62)];
+  }
+  return API_TOKEN_PREFIX + random + computeChecksum(random);
+}
+
+export function looksLikeApiToken(token: string): boolean {
+  return token.length === API_TOKEN_TOTAL_LEN && API_TOKEN_REGEX.test(token);
+}
+
+export function verifyApiTokenChecksum(token: string): boolean {
+  if (!looksLikeApiToken(token)) return false;
+  const random = token.slice(API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length, API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length + RANDOM_LEN);
+  const checksum = token.slice(API_TOKEN_PREFIX.length + RANDOM_LEN);
+  const expected = computeChecksum(random);
+  return timingSafeEqual(Buffer.from(checksum, 'utf8'), Buffer.from(expected, 'utf8'));
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/websocket/upgradeHandler.ts b/backend/src/websocket/upgradeHandler.ts
index 0374950e..d00cf97d 100644
--- a/backend/src/websocket/upgradeHandler.ts
+++ b/backend/src/websocket/upgradeHandler.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { handleLogsWs } from './logs';
 import { handleHostConsoleWs } from './hostConsole';
 import { handleGenericWs, attachGenericConnectionHandlers } from './generic';
 import { rejectUpgrade as reject } from './reject';
+import { looksLikeApiToken, verifyApiTokenChecksum } from '../utils/apiTokenFormat';
 
 function parseCookies(req: IncomingMessage): Record<string, string> {
   const header = req.headers.cookie || '';
@@ -72,25 +73,30 @@ export function attachUpgrade(
     if (!token) return reject(socket, 401, 'Unauthorized');
 
     try {
-      const settings = DatabaseService.getInstance().getGlobalSettings();
-      const jwtSecret = settings.auth_jwt_secret;
-      if (!jwtSecret) throw new Error('No JWT secret');
-      const decoded = jwt.verify(token, jwtSecret) as { username?: string; scope?: string; role?: string; tv?: number };
-
-      // Node proxy tokens are machine-to-machine credentials and must never be
-      // granted interactive terminal access (host console or container exec).
-      const isProxyToken = decoded.scope === 'node_proxy';
-
+      // Opaque sen_sk_ API tokens: handled before jwt.verify. Prefix +
+      // length + checksum reject malformed keys without touching SQLite.
+      let decoded: { username?: string; scope?: string; role?: string; tv?: number };
       let wsApiTokenScope: string | null = null;
-      if (decoded.scope === 'api_token') {
+      if (looksLikeApiToken(token)) {
+        if (!verifyApiTokenChecksum(token)) return reject(socket, 401, 'Unauthorized');
         const tokenHash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(token).digest('hex');
         const apiToken = DatabaseService.getInstance().getApiTokenByHash(tokenHash);
         if (!apiToken || apiToken.revoked_at) return reject(socket, 401, 'Unauthorized');
         if (apiToken.expires_at && apiToken.expires_at < Date.now()) return reject(socket, 401, 'Unauthorized');
         DatabaseService.getInstance().updateApiTokenLastUsed(apiToken.id);
         wsApiTokenScope = apiToken.scope;
+        decoded = { scope: 'api_token' };
+      } else {
+        const settings = DatabaseService.getInstance().getGlobalSettings();
+        const jwtSecret = settings.auth_jwt_secret;
+        if (!jwtSecret) throw new Error('No JWT secret');
+        decoded = jwt.verify(token, jwtSecret) as { username?: string; scope?: string; role?: string; tv?: number };
       }
 
+      // Node proxy tokens are machine-to-machine credentials and must never be
+      // granted interactive terminal access (host console or container exec).
+      const isProxyToken = decoded.scope === 'node_proxy';
+
       // For user session tokens (no scope), resolve against DB for up-to-date
       // role and token_version checks. Scoped tokens (api_token, node_proxy,
       // console_session) skip this: they are validated by their own logic
diff --git a/docs/api-reference/overview.mdx b/docs/api-reference/overview.mdx
index 250fa4e5..6e5a3363 100644
--- a/docs/api-reference/overview.mdx
+++ b/docs/api-reference/overview.mdx
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
   https://your-sencho-instance:1852/api/stacks
 ```
 
+API tokens are 56-character opaque strings that begin with `sen_sk_`, for example `sen_sk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx`. The prefix makes them easy to identify in logs and is recognized by secret-scanning tools (GitHub, TruffleHog, GitGuardian).
+
 <Note>
   API Tokens require a Sencho **Admiral** license. Community and Skipper editions do not include this feature.
 </Note>
diff --git a/docs/features/api-tokens.mdx b/docs/features/api-tokens.mdx
index 6f830c7d..fe9dba50 100644
--- a/docs/features/api-tokens.mdx
+++ b/docs/features/api-tokens.mdx
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ Click the trash icon next to any token in the API Tokens settings tab. A confirm
 
 ## Security model
 
+- **Recognizable format**: Tokens are 56 characters and begin with the `sen_sk_` prefix, followed by 49 base62 (alphanumeric) characters. The last six characters are a checksum, so malformed or typoed values are rejected before any database lookup. The prefix makes Sencho tokens easy to spot in logs, code, and secret-scanning tools (GitHub, TruffleHog, GitGuardian).
 - **Hashed storage**: Only a SHA-256 hash of the token is stored in the database. The raw token is never persisted.
-- **JWT-level expiry ceiling**: Every token includes a built-in expiry at the JWT level as defense-in-depth, independent of the user-configured expiration. The database-level expiry is always the tighter constraint.
 - **Audit trail**: All actions performed via API tokens are recorded in the [Audit Log](/features/audit-log) under the creating user's username.
 - **Optional expiry**: Tokens can be created with an expiration period (30 days, 60 days, 90 days, or 1 year). Tokens without an expiry must be revoked manually when no longer needed.
 - **Per-user limits**: Each user can create up to 25 active tokens. Token names must be unique among active tokens for the same user.