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Connect your Meraki account

API Toolbench uses a Meraki Dashboard API key to read and change settings. The key can do anything the Meraki admin account behind it can do, so it’s worth two minutes to set it up carefully.

1. Choose the right Meraki account

The plugin sees exactly what the key’s Meraki account sees. We recommend a dedicated dashboard admin account for API Toolbench (for example apitoolbench@your-msp.com) with access to only the organizations you plan to manage here. If you ever need to cut off access, you remove that one account.

2. Make sure API access is enabled

Each Meraki organization has a setting that allows Dashboard API access. In the Meraki dashboard, open the organization’s settings and look for the API access option (newer dashboards label the page API & webhooks). Turn it on for every organization you want to manage.

3. Generate the key

  1. Log in to the Meraki dashboard as the account from step 1.
  2. Click your name in the top right and open My profile.
  3. Under API access, click Generate new API key.
  4. Copy the key right away. Meraki only shows it once.

4. Add the key to WordPress

You have two options. The first is more secure.

Option A: in wp-config.php (recommended). Ask your host or developer to add this line to wp-config.php, above the line that says “That’s all, stop editing”:

define('TNR_MERAKI_API_KEY', 'paste-your-key-here');

Keys stored here never appear in the WordPress database or settings screens.

Option B: on the Settings page. Go to Meraki → Settings, paste the key into Meraki API key and click Save API key. After saving, only the last four characters are shown.

5. Test the connection

On Meraki → Settings, click Test connection. You should see how many organizations the key can reach. If you see an error:

  • “Meraki rejected the API key”: the key was copied incompletely, or it was deleted in the dashboard. Generate a new one.
  • “Could not reach Meraki”: your web host is blocking outgoing connections to api.meraki.com. Ask your host to allow it.
  • Fewer organizations than expected: the Meraki account doesn’t have access to them, or API access is turned off for those organizations.

Next step

Open Meraki → Devices, pick a client, and look around. Nothing changes until you push a change yourself. Or read Edit switch ports with the switch view.