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Authentication

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The CLI authenticates with the same API keys used by the MCP server. Credentials persist in ~/.better-i18n/auth.json so you only need to authenticate once.

Login #

Opens your default browser to authenticate via your Better i18n account (Google, GitHub, or email).

Bash
better-i18n login

The CLI starts a local callback server on port 9876, opens the dashboard login page, and waits for the authentication to complete. An API key is automatically created and stored locally.

API key login (CI/agents) #

Authenticate directly with an API key — no browser needed.

Bash
better-i18n login --api-key bi-your-key-here

Get your API key from Settings → API Keys in the dashboard.

Environment variable #

Set BETTER_I18N_API_KEY in your environment. The CLI will use it automatically — no login required.

Bash
export BETTER_I18N_API_KEY=bi-your-key-here
better-i18n projects  # works immediately

Auth Resolution Order #

When the CLI needs authentication, it checks these sources in order:

  1. --api-key flag (highest priority)
  2. BETTER_I18N_API_KEY environment variable
  3. ~/.better-i18n/auth.json (from better-i18n login)
  4. i18n.config.ts project config

Logout #

Remove stored credentials from your machine.

Bash
better-i18n logout

Whoami #

Check which account you're authenticated as.

Bash
better-i18n whoami
Text
  Better i18n CLI

  Email:    osman@acme.com
  Name:     Ali Osman
  Auth:     ~/.better-i18n/auth.json
  API:      https://dash.better-i18n.com

Options #

OptionDescription
--api-key <key>API key for direct authentication
--api-url <url>Custom API URL (for self-hosted or local dev)
--jsonMachine-readable JSON output

Credential Storage #

Credentials are stored as plain JSON in ~/.better-i18n/auth.json:

JSON
{
  "apiKey": "bi-...",
  "email": "you@example.com",
  "userId": "...",
  "apiUrl": "https://dash.better-i18n.com",
  "createdAt": "2026-05-06T..."
}

The file is created by login and removed by logout. It is not committed to git — add ~/.better-i18n/ to your global .gitignore if needed.