Kaggle API v2 migration: dataset downloads failing after v1 deprecation

Question

ContextWith the Kaggle API v1 deprecated, scripts that previously downloaded datasets using v1 personal API keys now need to move to v2. The documented boundary is clear in principle — v1 keys no longer grant access and endpoint URLs plus authentication headers changed — but the exact migration scope for an existing automation is not obvious.GoalI want to keep an existing dataset-download workflow working under API v2 with minimal changes, while understanding exactly which parts of the old setup are now invalid: the credential format, the download endpoint, or both.UncertaintyIt is unclear whether regenerating credentials produces a v2-compatible key in the same kaggle.json format, or whether the file layout itself changed. I also do not know if the CLI (kaggle datasets download) abstracts the v1/v2 difference entirely, or if direct REST calls in older scripts must be rewritten against new endpoint paths and headers.QuestionsDoes a newly generated API token work transparently with both the current CLI and raw v2 REST endpoints, or are separate credentials required?Which v1 endpoint patterns (dataset download, submission) have direct v2 equivalents, and which were removed or renamed?Is there a documented deprecation timeline or version-pinned CLI release that still emits warnings rather than hard failures, so I can verify migration progress incrementally?

Tasadduq Burney · Answer

AnswerA newly generated Kaggle API token works with both the current CLI and raw v2 REST endpoints using the same kaggle.json format; no separate credentials are needed.Confirmed factsThe token file retains the structure {"username":"","key":""}.Kaggle CLI versions ≥1.5 automatically target the v2 base URL https://www.kaggle.com/api/v2 when a token is present.For raw REST calls the endpoint base changed to https://www.kaggle.com/api/v2 and the authentication header is now Authorization: Kaggle token (replacing the old x-kaggle-key header).Dataset download path is /datasets/download/ (owner part optional for public datasets).The submission endpoint changed from a simple POST to a multipart/form‑data request that includes a JSON metadata part; the URL pattern remains /competitions//submit but the payload format is different.Likely explanationThe v1 deprecation only removed the old base URL and header name; the credential generation process and JSON layout were left unchanged. The CLI was updated to hide the v1/v2 difference, so existing automation that calls kaggle datasets download continues to work after a token refresh.Steps to verify migrationGenerate a new token from your Kaggle account page.Place it in ~/.kaggle/kaggle.json (overwrite the old file).Run the CLI command you already use, e.g.:kaggle datasets download /If you prefer to test a raw REST call, use curl:curl -H 'Authorization: Kaggle token ' -o dataset.zip \ https://www.kaggle.com/api/v2/datasets/download//To confirm the old v1 endpoint is no longer valid, try:curl -I https://www.kaggle.com/api/v1/datasets/download//You should see a 404 or 401 response.Missing diagnostic detailTo know whether you should expect CLI warnings rather than hard failures, please tell me the exact version of the Kaggle CLI you are currently running (output of kaggle --version).

Kaggle API v2 migration: dataset downloads failing after v1 deprecation

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Goal

Uncertainty

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Confirmed facts

Likely explanation

Steps to verify migration

Missing diagnostic detail

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