> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://nowrun.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# nowrun login: Authenticate the CLI Without a Token

> nowrun login authenticates the CLI through your browser and installs the nowrun skill and MCP server. No token to copy or paste.

`nowrun login` is the first command to run after installing the CLI. It authenticates through your browser, installs the skill that teaches your AI agent how to drive nowrun, and registers the hosted docs MCP server the agent can read from.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
nowrun login
```

## What happens

1. The CLI prints an approval URL and opens it in your browser.
2. You approve the device in the nowrun console while signed in to your account.
3. The CLI receives the credentials and saves them locally.
4. It installs the nowrun skill and the docs MCP server for your AI tool.

There is no token to find, copy, or paste. The browser approval is the whole human step.

<Note>
  The approval window is about five minutes. If it lapses, the CLI reports a timeout and you simply run `nowrun login` again for a fresh code.
</Note>

## If you are an AI agent

`nowrun login` cannot be completed by the agent alone, because a human has to approve the device. Run the command, then **show the printed URL to the user and wait**. The command blocks until approval or timeout.

```bash theme={null}
nowrun login
# Opening your browser to log in to nowrun…
# If it doesn't open, visit:
#   https://nowrun.io/console/cli-login?code=XXXXXXXX
# Waiting for you to approve this device in the browser…
```

Once it returns, `nowrun whoami` confirms the session.

## Flags

<ParamField path="--target" name="--target <tool>" type="string">
  Which AI tool to install the skill and MCP server for: `claude` (default), `agents`, `codex`, `copilot`, `cursor`, or `vscode`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="-d" name="-d, --dir <path>" type="string">
  Project root for the agent setup. Defaults to the current directory, so run this from your project rather than your home folder.
</ParamField>

## Checking and ending a session

```bash theme={null}
nowrun whoami    # shows the signed-in account, and validates it against the backend
nowrun logout    # signs out and deletes stored credentials from this machine
```

`whoami` verifies the session server-side, so it reports a revoked or expired session rather than only checking local state.

## Re-authenticating

Run `nowrun login` again at any time. It is safe to re-run and overwrites any stored credentials.

On a machine with no browser, open the printed approval URL on your phone or another computer. Approving there completes the login on this machine.