Steam key request checker
Paste a key request email to check it for the warning signs that fake creators, fake curators and key resellers tend to leave. A free tool for indie game developers.
Stays in your browser. The checks run in this page with plain JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded or stored, and the page is set to block network connections from its scripts. This is a heuristic helper, not a guarantee: it spots common patterns, and you still decide.
How this checker works
We built this checker from the patterns indie developers report most often in key request emails. It reads the sender address, any Reply-To address, the subject and the body, then runs a fixed list of rules. Each rule that matches adds a flag with a short reason. Strong signs, such as a look-alike domain or an offer to buy keys in bulk, count for more than weak ones, such as a generic greeting. The total sets the result: Looks legit, Check further or Likely scam.
There is no AI and no lookup. The checker cannot open a channel, see subscriber counts or read any store data. It only knows the text you paste, which is why every result ends with steps to verify by hand.
Why key scams keep coming
A free key looks harmless to give. Resellers collect keys by posing as YouTubers, streamers, curators and press, then sell them on key resale sites. Each resold key is a sale you lose, and cheap resold keys can undercut your own launch discount. Requests tend to arrive in waves around launches, festivals and sales, often copied word for word to hundreds of studios.
The patterns we look for
- Address tricks. Free webmail claiming a large channel or outlet, one swapped letter ("rn" for "m"), padded addresses with words like "business" or "collab", and look-alike characters from other alphabets.
- Mismatches. A sender domain that differs from the site the email links to, or a Reply-To that sends your answer somewhere else.
- The ask. Several keys, keys "for the team", keys for every game you have made, giveaway keys, and offers to buy keys in bulk.
- Curator claims. Steam curators can receive review copies through Curator Connect, so a curator who wants keys by email, or says Curator Connect is broken, needs a close look.
- Template signs. "Dear developer", no game name, no channel link, and deadlines.
What it cannot tell you
A careful scammer can write a clean email, and a real creator can write a messy one. Smaller creators often use free webmail and forget to link their channel. Treat a flag as a reason to check, not a verdict. The test that matters happens outside the email: find the channel yourself, confirm the address on its About or contact page, and write to that address directly instead of pressing reply.
For worked examples of each pattern, read our guide on how to spot fake Steam key requests.
If these requests pile up in your inbox, our Key Request Triage template for n8n runs similar checks automatically in Gmail, labels each request and drafts replies for the ones that look real.
ReadyUpAgents is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve or Steam. Steam is a trademark of Valve Corporation. n8n is a trademark of n8n GmbH, and ReadyUpAgents is not affiliated with or endorsed by n8n. All example emails use invented games, studios, creators and outlets.