# Secrets

App Secrets are key-value pairs that are passed to the Spice Runtime instance as environment secrets. Secrets are securely encrypted and accessible only through the app in which they were created.

Once a secret is saved, its value cannot be retrieved through Spice Cloud. If you need to update the secret value, you must delete the existing secret and create a new one.

### Create a new secret

1. Select your app.
2. Navigate to **Settings** tab and select **Secrets** section.
3. Fill **Secret Name** and **Secret Value** fields and click **Add**.
4. Saved secrets can be referenced in the Spicepod configuration as\
   `${secrets::<SECRET_NAME>}`, for example:

```yaml
models:   
  - from: openai:gpt-4o
    name: gpt-4o
    params:
      openai_api_key: ${secrets:OPENAI_API_KEY}
```

5. To apply secrets, you must initiate a new spicepod deployment. [Learn more about deployments.](/docs/portal/app-spicepod/deployments.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.spice.ai/docs/portal/apps/secrets.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.