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

# CLI Authentication

> Log in with OAuth or an API key, and manage several lemlist accounts as named profiles.

The CLI stores credentials as **profiles**. A profile holds either an OAuth
token set or an API key, and each one resolves to exactly
[one lemlist account](/api-reference/getting-started/multiple-accounts).

## Log in with OAuth (recommended)

The simplest way in: log in with your browser. No key to copy.

```bash theme={"theme":"dracula"}
lemlist auth login              # opens the browser, stores tokens
lemlist auth login client-x     # same, under a named profile
```

The consent screen lets you pick the team for each login, so one profile is
bound to one account. Tokens refresh automatically shortly before they expire;
when the session fully expires, run `lemlist auth login` again.

## Log in with an API key

Get your API key from lemlist (**Settings → Team → Integrations → Generate**),
then store it under a profile name:

```bash theme={"theme":"dracula"}
lemlist auth add default <your-api-key>
lemlist auth add client-x <your-api-key>
```

## Managing several accounts

Store one profile per team, then switch between them.

```bash theme={"theme":"dracula"}
lemlist auth login client-x       # OAuth: pick client X's team in the browser
lemlist auth add client-y <key>   # or store an API key under a profile
lemlist auth list                 # * marks the active profile
lemlist auth use client-x         # set the active profile
```

Override the active profile for a single call, or through an environment
variable:

```bash theme={"theme":"dracula"}
lemlist --account client-y campaigns list
LEMLIST_PROFILE=client-y lemlist campaigns list
```

## See the team behind each profile

Profile names are yours to choose, so `auth list` alone doesn't tell you which
lemlist team a credential actually points to. Add `--verbose` to resolve each
profile against the API and show the team name, its id, and its member count:

```bash theme={"theme":"dracula"}
lemlist auth list --verbose
```

```text theme={"theme":"dracula"}
  default        oauth           Acme Inc (tea_9fK3mQ8sT2vB7nL4x) · 12 members
* client-x       key_1a2b3c4…    Example Corp (tea_7hG2pR5mV9wQ4bK1x) · 5 members
  client-y       oauth           <Invalid API key. Check the active profile with: lemlist auth list>
```

Each profile is resolved independently: a profile whose credential has expired
is reported inline (as above) without aborting the others. Add `--json` for a
structured array — each entry carries `profile`, `active`, `credential`, and
either a `team` object or an `error` string.

<Note>
  `--verbose` makes one API call per profile (`GET /team`), so it needs network
  access — and for OAuth profiles it may silently refresh an expired token. Plain
  `lemlist auth list` stays fully offline.
</Note>

## How the credential is resolved

For each call, the CLI resolves which credential to use in this order:

1. The `--key <key>` flag — a raw API key that bypasses profiles entirely.
2. The profile named by the `--account <name>` flag.
3. The `LEMLIST_PROFILE` environment variable.
4. The active profile set with `lemlist auth use`.
5. The `default` profile.

<Note>
  Profiles are stored in `~/.lemlist/config.json` with file mode `0600`. The
  file holds either an API key or an OAuth token set per profile — keep it as
  secure as a password.
</Note>

## Command reference

| Command                         | Effect                                                             |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `lemlist auth login [name]`     | Log in through the browser (OAuth) and store tokens                |
| `lemlist auth add <name> <key>` | Store an API key under a profile name                              |
| `lemlist auth list`             | List stored profiles (`*` marks the active one)                    |
| `lemlist auth list --verbose`   | List profiles and resolve each one's team (name, id, member count) |
| `lemlist auth use <name>`       | Set the active profile                                             |
| `lemlist auth remove <name>`    | Delete a profile                                                   |

***

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