Authentication
TUI-first login
Section titled “TUI-first login”Authentication starts in the TUI.
When you launch dreadnode for the first time, Dreadnode opens an authentication modal before it starts your first session.
You will need a Dreadnode platform account to use the hosted experience. New accounts receive free starter credits.
Login methods
Section titled “Login methods”The auth modal gives you two choices:
- Browser login - the recommended path for most users.
- API key - paste a Dreadnode API key directly into the TUI.
The browser flow opens a device-code login in your browser. The API key flow keeps everything in-terminal.
After login, Dreadnode stores your active profile under ~/.dreadnode and starts the TUI normally.
Re-authenticate from inside the TUI
Section titled “Re-authenticate from inside the TUI”If you are already in the TUI and need to switch accounts or refresh auth, run:
/loginTo inspect what the runtime can see, open:
/secretsProvider presets and BYOK
Section titled “Provider presets and BYOK”/secrets is the main place to verify provider-backed models.
Provider presets show whether the runtime can see the environment variable a provider expects. For example, BYOK models often depend on variables such as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or OPENAI_API_KEY.
Supported providers: anthropic, openai, google, mistral, groq, custom.
| Provider | Key format (example) |
|---|---|
| anthropic | sk-ant-... |
| openai | sk-... |
AIza... | |
| mistral | mistral-... |
| groq | gsk_... |
| custom | custom-... |
CLI login when you need it
Section titled “CLI login when you need it”The CLI login flow is still available, but it is secondary to the TUI flow.
Save a profile ahead of time:
dreadnode loginLog in with an API key directly:
dreadnode login <api-key>Target a self-hosted platform:
dreadnode login --server http://localhost:3000Profiles
Section titled “Profiles”Profiles store saved platform credentials under ~/.dreadnode, and the most recent login becomes active.
To switch profiles explicitly, set DREADNODE_PROFILE before launching Dreadnode:
DREADNODE_PROFILE=dev.app.dreadnode.io dreadnodeAdditional Dreadnode keys
Section titled “Additional Dreadnode keys”If you need more than one key for the same account, create and revoke additional keys from the Dreadnode platform and then use them with the TUI API key login path when needed.