Credentials

Smartloop uses a developer token to authenticate CLI and TUI operations against the platform. This page covers how tokens are stored, set, and managed.

How Tokens Are Stored

When you save a developer token, Smartloop will attempt to use the most secure storage backend available on your system:

Backend	Platform	Description
System Keychain	macOS (Keychain), Linux (Secret Service / libsecret), Windows (Credential Manager)	Tokens are stored in your OS credential store — encrypted and managed by the operating system.
Fernet Encrypted File	All platforms (fallback)	If no system keychain is available, tokens are written to a local $SLP_HOME/.credentials file using Fernet symmetric encryption.

The CLI automatically selects the best available backend — no configuration needed.

info

The system keychain is always preferred when available. The encrypted file fallback ensures credentials are never stored in plaintext.

Using Smartloop Without a Token

Running slp init with no token will initialize a project using the default free model. No sign-up is required to get started — you can use the tool right away:

slp init

A developer token unlocks additional capabilities, but most features — including access to advanced models — require an active subscription.

Setting Your Token

You can obtain a developer token from https://app.smartloop.ai/developer.

There are three ways to set your token:

During Project Init

Pass your token when initializing a new project:

slp init -t <developer_token>

or using the long flag:

slp init --developer_token <developer_token>

This stores the token and configures the project in one step. See Getting Started for more on project setup.

Via the CLI

Set or update your token at any time:

slp token set <developer_token>

Via the TUI

Inside the interactive TUI (slp), use slash commands:

/token set <developer_token>

Viewing Your Token

View the currently stored token from the CLI or TUI. The token is displayed in obfuscated form — only a few characters at the start and end are shown, with the rest masked:

slp token

Or from inside the TUI:

/token

Example output:

Developer token: slp_bDmz...Hcg

Clearing Your Token

To remove a stored token from the TUI:

/token clear

This deletes the token from whichever storage backend is in use (keychain or encrypted file).

Quick Reference

Action	CLI	TUI
Set token during init	slp init -t <token>	—
Set / update token	slp token set <token>	/token set <token>
View token (obfuscated)	slp token	/token
Clear token	—	/token clear