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

# mandate login

> Register a new agent with the Mandate API and store credentials locally for subsequent commands.

## What does login do?

The `login` command registers a new agent with the Mandate API. It creates an agent identity, generates a runtime key, and saves both to `~/.mandate/credentials.json`. You run this once per agent.

```bash theme={null}
npx @mandate.md/cli login --name "my-agent"
```

## Options

| Flag                  | Required | Description                                                 |
| --------------------- | :------: | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--name`              |    Yes   | Agent name (shown in the dashboard)                         |
| `--address`           |    No    | EVM wallet address (0x...). Set now or later via `activate` |
| `--perTxLimit` (`-p`) |    No    | Per-transaction USD limit                                   |
| `--dailyLimit` (`-d`) |    No    | Daily USD limit                                             |
| `--chainId`           |    No    | Chain ID (default: `84532`, Base Sepolia)                   |
| `--baseUrl`           |    No    | Custom Mandate API URL                                      |

## Example: register with limits

```bash theme={null}
npx @mandate.md/cli login \
  --name "payment-bot" \
  --address 0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678 \
  --perTxLimit 100 \
  --dailyLimit 500
```

## Output

```json theme={null}
{
  "agentId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "runtimeKey": "mndt_test_abc12...xyz",
  "claimUrl": "https://app.mandate.md/claim/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "evmAddress": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678"
}
```

The runtime key is masked in the output. The full key is stored in `~/.mandate/credentials.json`.

## What is the claim URL?

The `claimUrl` links this agent to a human's dashboard account. Share it with the wallet owner. When they visit the URL and sign in, the agent appears in their [dashboard](/dashboard/overview) where they can configure policies, approve transactions, and view the audit log.

<Note>
  If you omit `--address`, the agent registers with a zero address. You must call `mandate activate 0xYourAddress` before validating any transactions.
</Note>

## What happens to credentials?

The command writes `~/.mandate/credentials.json` with `0600` permissions. All subsequent authenticated commands (`validate`, `transfer`, `whoami`, etc.) read this file automatically. To switch agents, delete the file and run `login` again.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Activate Wallet" icon="arrow-right" href="/cli/activate">
    Set or change the wallet address after registration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Validate a Transaction" icon="arrow-right" href="/cli/validate">
    Run your first policy check from the CLI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Register Agent Guide" icon="arrow-right" href="/guides/register-agent">
    End-to-end walkthrough of the registration flow.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>