diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9bb840a..05b9cf4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -103,3 +103,5 @@ client_keys/
 *.p7c
 *.p7r
 *.p7s
+
+test/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/nomyo/SecureCompletionClient.py b/nomyo/SecureCompletionClient.py
index cdbd8fb..3d1e896 100644
--- a/nomyo/SecureCompletionClient.py
+++ b/nomyo/SecureCompletionClient.py
@@ -438,13 +438,14 @@ class SecureCompletionClient:
 
         return response
 
-    async def send_secure_request(self, payload: Dict[str, Any], payload_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    async def send_secure_request(self, payload: Dict[str, Any], payload_id: str, api_key: Optional[str] = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """
         Send a secure chat completion request to the router.
 
         Args:
             payload: Chat completion request payload
             payload_id: Unique identifier for this request
+            api_key: Optional API key for bearer authentication
 
         Returns:
             Decrypted response from the LLM
@@ -461,6 +462,10 @@ class SecureCompletionClient:
             "Content-Type": "application/octet-stream"
         }
 
+        # Add Authorization header if api_key is provided
+        if api_key:
+            headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {api_key}"
+
         # Step 3: Send request to router
         url = f"{self.router_url}/v1/chat/secure_completion"
         logger.debug("Target URL: %s", url)
diff --git a/nomyo/nomyo.py b/nomyo/nomyo.py
index 4af1f64..1bc7dec 100644
--- a/nomyo/nomyo.py
+++ b/nomyo/nomyo.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import uuid
-from typing import Dict, Any, List
+from typing import Dict, Any, List, Optional
 from .SecureCompletionClient import SecureCompletionClient
 
 class SecureChatCompletion:
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class SecureChatCompletion:
         ```
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, base_url: str = "https://api.nomyo.ai:12434", allow_http: bool = False):
+    def __init__(self, base_url: str = "https://api.nomyo.ai:12434", allow_http: bool = False, api_key: Optional[str] = None):
         """
         Initialize the secure chat completion client.
 
@@ -45,10 +45,13 @@ class SecureChatCompletion:
             base_url: Base URL of the NOMYO Router (must use HTTPS for production)
                      This parameter is named 'base_url' for OpenAI compatibility.
             allow_http: Allow HTTP connections (ONLY for local development, never in production)
+            api_key: Optional API key for bearer authentication. If provided, it will be
+                     used for all requests made with this client.
         """
 
         self.client = SecureCompletionClient(router_url=base_url, allow_http=allow_http)
         self._keys_initialized = False
+        self.api_key = api_key
 
     async def _ensure_keys(self):
         """Ensure keys are loaded or generated."""
@@ -139,10 +142,13 @@ class SecureChatCompletion:
         }
 
         # Generate a unique payload ID
-        payload_id = f"openai-compat-{uuid.uuid4()}"
+        payload_id = f"{uuid.uuid4()}"
+
+        # Use instance's api_key if not overridden in kwargs
+        request_api_key = kwargs.pop("api_key", instance.api_key)
 
         # Send secure request
-        response = await instance.client.send_secure_request(payload, payload_id)
+        response = await instance.client.send_secure_request(payload, payload_id, request_api_key)
 
         return response
 
diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index 5bd2456..040af4a 100644
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ the same interface as OpenAI's ChatCompletion.create() method.
 import asyncio
 from nomyo import SecureChatCompletion
 
-client = SecureChatCompletion(base_url="http://localhost:12434", allow_http=True)
+client = SecureChatCompletion(api_key="test-api-key-12345")
 
 async def test_basic_chat():
     """Test basic chat completion with OpenAI-style API."""