diff --git a/app/components/chat/Chat.client.tsx b/app/components/chat/Chat.client.tsx
index b5bb7eff..76f15a33 100644
--- a/app/components/chat/Chat.client.tsx
+++ b/app/components/chat/Chat.client.tsx
@@ -336,7 +336,9 @@ export const ChatImpl = memo(
       }
 
       const loginKey = getNutLoginKey();
-      const anthropicApiKey = Cookies.get(anthropicApiKeyCookieName);
+
+      const apiKeyCookie = Cookies.get(anthropicApiKeyCookieName);
+      const anthropicApiKey = apiKeyCookie?.length ? apiKeyCookie : undefined;
 
       if (!loginKey && !anthropicApiKey) {
         const numFreeUses = +(Cookies.get(anthropicNumFreeUsesCookieName) || 0);
diff --git a/app/lib/replay/Problems.ts b/app/lib/replay/Problems.ts
index 45d7aaa1..e3289514 100644
--- a/app/lib/replay/Problems.ts
+++ b/app/lib/replay/Problems.ts
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ const nutLoginKeyCookieName = 'nutLoginKey';
 const nutIsAdminCookieName = 'nutIsAdmin';
 
 export function getNutLoginKey(): string | undefined {
-  return Cookies.get(nutLoginKeyCookieName);
+  const cookieValue = Cookies.get(nutLoginKeyCookieName);
+  return cookieValue?.length ? cookieValue : undefined;
 }
 
 export function getNutIsAdmin(): boolean {
@@ -169,7 +170,8 @@ export function setNutIsAdmin(isAdmin: boolean) {
 const nutProblemsUsernameCookieName = 'nutProblemsUsername';
 
 export function getProblemsUsername(): string | undefined {
-  return Cookies.get(nutProblemsUsernameCookieName);
+  const cookieValue = Cookies.get(nutProblemsUsernameCookieName);
+  return cookieValue?.length ? cookieValue : undefined;
 }
 
 export function saveProblemsUsername(username: string) {