Cue CLI stores two types of credentials to connect you to AI services.

​
Credential Types

​
Accounts

Your Cue backend login. Cue supports multiple accounts — useful for separating work and personal use. Used for:
  • WebSocket connection to Cue servers
  • Syncing with your phone
  • Remote agent control
  • Activity feed, posts, and notifications

​
AI Keys

Direct API credentials for AI providers:
  • Anthropic — Claude models
  • OpenAI — GPT models
  • Gemini — Google AI models
Each account selects which AI key to use via the provider field.

​
Storage

Credentials are stored in ~/.cue/auth-profiles.json: 
{
  "version": 1,
  "accounts": {
    "cue:work": {
      "email": "me@company.com",
      "endpoint": "https://api.cueos.ai",
      "token": "eyJhbGci...",
      "provider": "anthropic:api"
    },
    "cue:personal": {
      "email": "me@gmail.com",
      "endpoint": "https://api.cueos.ai",
      "token": "eyJhbGci..."
    }
  },
  "ai_keys": {
    "anthropic:api": {
      "type": "api_key",
      "api_key": "sk-ant-..."
    }
  },
  "defaults": {
    "account": "cue:work"
  }
}
Account names follow the pattern cue:<email_prefix> (e.g., cue:john for john@example.com).

​
Commands

​
Check Status

cue auth
Shows your current account, selected AI key, and available keys.

​
List All

cue auth list
Shows all accounts and AI keys with details.

​
Switch Account

# Switch to a different account
cue auth use cue:personal

# Switch account for specific environment
cue auth use cue:work --env production

​
Switch AI Key

# Persist to config
cue auth use anthropic:api

# Session only (not saved)
cue auth use anthropic:api --session

# Set for specific environment
cue auth use openai:api --env production

​
Add Account

Log in with a different email to add another account: 
cue
/login
# Follow prompts — new account will be added without removing existing ones

​
Remove Account

cue auth remove cue:old-account

​
Add New Key

cue auth new
# Interactive setup for Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini

​
Reset All

cue auth reset
# Clears all accounts and API keys

​
Environment Variables

Environment variables take priority over stored credentials: 
# Cue backend
export CUE_ACCESS_TOKEN=eyJhbGci...

# Direct providers
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export GEMINI_API_KEY=...

​
Providers

Use --provider to choose how requests are routed:
ProviderFlagDescription
cue--provider cueThrough Cue backend (default)
anthropic--provider anthropicDirect to Anthropic
openai--provider openaiDirect to OpenAI
gemini--provider geminiDirect to Gemini
# Use Anthropic directly with your local API key
cue --provider anthropic -p "hello"

# Use Cue backend (uses your account's selected key or backend's key)
cue --provider cue -p "hello"

​
Resolution Order

​
For Accounts

  1. Environment variable CUE_ACCESS_TOKEN
  2. Environment default (envDefaults[env].account)
  3. Global default (defaults.account)

​
For AI Keys

  1. Environment variables (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, etc.)
  2. Account’s selected provider (account.provider)
  3. First matching key in ai_keys

​
One-Command Usage

Use --profile to select an account or AI key for a single command without changing your default:

​
With Accounts

# Post activity as work account
cue --profile cue:work activity "Checked deploy logs"

# Check personal feed
cue --profile cue:personal feed

# Send notification via work account
cue --profile cue:work notify "Build Done" "Completed successfully"

​
With AI Keys

cue --profile anthropic:api -p "hello"
cue --profile openai:api -p "hello"
This is useful for scripting and automation where you want to use a specific account without affecting interactive sessions.