Abstract The crested capuchin monkey ( Sapajus robustus ) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest and its transition areas within Cerrado in Brazil. The species is currently threatened by habitat loss and has been classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2015. We used ecological niche models built with MaxEnt to predict the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of this species. The models were projected onto the reference climate, considering six climate scenarios (three Global Climate Models and two Representative Concentration Pathways) from IPCC for 2050 and 2070. We showed that while the amount of suitable area is expected to change little across the species’ range in most evaluated climate scenarios, climatic conditions may significantly deteriorate by 2070 in the pessimistic scenario, especially in currently warmer and dryer areas to the west. As seen on other capuchin monkeys, the potential use of tools by crested capuchins may increase the chances of the species adaptation to novel harsher environmental conditions. The major negative impacts across the species range also include habitat loss and fragmentation so that the conservation of the species relies on the protection of the forest remnants in the center of its distribution, which can harbor populations of the species in current and future climate scenarios. , Research Highlights Climatic conditions for the crested capuchin monkey might degrade across its distribution, especially in currently warmer and dryer areas. The potential use of tools by the crested capuchin monkey may increase the chances of the species to adapt to novel harsher environmental conditions. Habitat loss and fragmentation are still the main threats for the crested capuchin monkey, and its conservation relies on the maintenance of forest remnants in the center of its distribution.