diff --git a/docs/integrations/bedrock.md b/docs/integrations/bedrock.md
index 2ad2c0dad..a79a5eb91 100644
--- a/docs/integrations/bedrock.md
+++ b/docs/integrations/bedrock.md
@@ -65,6 +65,29 @@ Or configure using AWS CLI:
 aws configure
 ```
 
+### Bedrock API Key (Bearer Token) Authentication
+
+Instead of AWS credentials, you can authenticate with an [Amazon Bedrock API key](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/bedrock/latest/userguide/api-keys.html). Bedrock offers short-term keys (up to 12 hours, recommended for production) and long-term keys (recommended only for exploration).
+
+Pass the key directly via `api_key`:
+
+```python
+import instructor
+
+client = instructor.from_provider(
+    "bedrock/anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022-v2:0",
+    api_key="your-bedrock-api-key",
+)
+```
+
+Or set the environment variable that botocore reads natively:
+
+```bash
+export AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK=your-bedrock-api-key
+```
+
+> **Note:** Bearer token authentication requires `boto3>=1.39.0`. When a Bedrock API key is set, it takes precedence over AWS credentials for Bedrock requests.
+
 ## Sync Example
 
 ```python
diff --git a/instructor/v2/auto_client.py b/instructor/v2/auto_client.py
index 54335e960..75a3f4726 100644
--- a/instructor/v2/auto_client.py
+++ b/instructor/v2/auto_client.py
@@ -969,7 +969,7 @@ def _build_bedrock(
     model_name: str,
     async_client: bool,
     mode: Mode | None,
-    api_key: str | None,  # noqa: ARG001
+    api_key: str | None,
     kwargs: dict[str, Any],
     provider_info: dict[str, str],
 ) -> InstructorType:
@@ -987,6 +987,13 @@ def _build_bedrock(
             )
             region = os.environ.get("AWS_DEFAULT_REGION", "us-east-1")
 
+        # Bedrock API keys (bearer tokens) authenticate without SigV4 credentials.
+        # botocore >= 1.39.0 reads AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK at request time, so
+        # exporting the key is the supported way to enable bearer auth.
+        if api_key:
+            os.environ["AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK"] = api_key
+            logger.debug("Using Bedrock API key (bearer token) authentication")
+
         # Extract AWS-specific parameters
         # Dictionary to collect AWS credentials and session parameters for boto3 client
         aws_kwargs = {}
diff --git a/tests/v2/test_auto_client_deterministic.py b/tests/v2/test_auto_client_deterministic.py
index cae767607..6577bfe7b 100644
--- a/tests/v2/test_auto_client_deterministic.py
+++ b/tests/v2/test_auto_client_deterministic.py
@@ -205,6 +205,69 @@ def fake_from_bedrock(_client: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> dict[str, Any]:
     assert calls[1]["mode"] == Mode.MD_JSON
 
 
+def test_build_bedrock_api_key_enables_bearer_token_auth(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    import os
+
+    boto3_module = ModuleType("boto3")
+    setattr(boto3_module, "client", lambda *_args, **_kwargs: object())  # noqa: B010
+    monkeypatch.setitem(__import__("sys").modules, "boto3", boto3_module)
+
+    import instructor.v2.providers.bedrock.client as bedrock_client
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        bedrock_client, "from_bedrock", lambda _client, **kwargs: kwargs
+    )
+
+    # Ensure the variable is absent but restored to its original state on teardown
+    monkeypatch.setenv("AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK", "sentinel")
+    monkeypatch.delenv("AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK")
+
+    auto_client._build_bedrock(
+        provider="bedrock",
+        model_name="anthropic.claude-3-7-sonnet",
+        async_client=False,
+        mode=None,
+        api_key="bedrock-api-key",
+        kwargs={},
+        provider_info={"provider": "bedrock", "operation": "initialize"},
+    )
+
+    assert os.environ["AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK"] == "bedrock-api-key"
+
+
+def test_build_bedrock_without_api_key_leaves_bearer_token_unset(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    import os
+
+    boto3_module = ModuleType("boto3")
+    setattr(boto3_module, "client", lambda *_args, **_kwargs: object())  # noqa: B010
+    monkeypatch.setitem(__import__("sys").modules, "boto3", boto3_module)
+
+    import instructor.v2.providers.bedrock.client as bedrock_client
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        bedrock_client, "from_bedrock", lambda _client, **kwargs: kwargs
+    )
+
+    monkeypatch.setenv("AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK", "sentinel")
+    monkeypatch.delenv("AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK")
+
+    auto_client._build_bedrock(
+        provider="bedrock",
+        model_name="anthropic.claude-3-7-sonnet",
+        async_client=False,
+        mode=None,
+        api_key=None,
+        kwargs={},
+        provider_info={"provider": "bedrock", "operation": "initialize"},
+    )
+
+    assert "AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK" not in os.environ
+
+
 def test_build_ollama_uses_tool_mode_only_for_tool_capable_models(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None: