Choose the right credential
Cmdop issues five credentials that do five different jobs: a fleet join key adds a machine, a console password admits a terminal attach, a connection PIN gates that attach further, a relay SDK token authorizes typed access, and a relay admin password opens the console. None substitutes for another, and each machine authenticates attachers at its own door with its own credentials.
Cmdop’s credentials are purpose-specific and deliberately not interchangeable. Holding one does not get you the others, and no surface accepts a credential issued for a different job.
Credential map
| Credential | What it admits | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet join key | Joining a machine to a relay | cmdop join on the machine being added |
| A machine’s console password | A remote terminal attach to that machine | Typed at the cmdop connect prompt |
| A machine’s connection PIN | An extra per-machine attach gate, when armed | cmdop connect, or the pin argument on a fleet tool |
| Relay SDK token | Typed SDK access to an explicit relay | CMDOP_TOKEN with CMDOP_BASE_URL |
| Relay admin password | Signing in to a relay’s console from another computer | The console sign-in screen |
The distinctions that actually bite
Your credential does not open another machine’s door. A remote attach
authenticates at the target’s door, so cmdop connect other-box asks for
other-box’s console password — your own sign-in and join credentials are
not accepted there. See
Open an interactive remote terminal.
Console password and connection PIN are two different things. The console password is the machine’s door admin password and is never stored for a remote attach — you type it each time. The PIN is an optional additional gate, and it can be saved per machine:
cmdop connect password set <machine>Joining is per relay. The join key belongs to one relay, and a machine’s stored credential is per relay too. Switching the active relay does not carry membership or credentials with it — see Use more than one relay.
There is no Cmdop API key for the SDK. The SDK’s relay plane takes
CMDOP_TOKEN and CMDOP_BASE_URL; a local SDK client uses the active local
setup and needs neither. Do not go looking for an API-key flag — see
SDK configuration.
Handling
Supply credentials through the CLI prompt or the documented environment variables. Keep them out of source code, out of command arguments that get logged, and out of shell history. Resetting one credential never silently rotates another.
Common questions
Are Cmdop credentials interchangeable?
No. Join keys, console passwords, connection PINs, relay SDK tokens, and relay admin passwords each admit a different operation.
What credential does a remote attach use?
A remote attach authenticates at the target machine’s door and may also require that machine’s connection PIN.
Is there a Cmdop API key for the SDK?
No. The relay SDK plane uses CMDOP_TOKEN with CMDOP_BASE_URL; local SDK use
can rely on the active local setup.
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