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Configuration

patb-cli authenticates every request to the remote agent service with a single required credential: PATBA_API_KEY.

Configuration is loaded by loadConfig() in src/config.ts, which reads a .env file from the current working directory (process.cwd()) without overriding any variable that is already set in the environment (dotenv.config({ override: false })).

Create a .env file in the directory where you'll run the CLI command:

PATBA_API_KEY=your_secret_api_key_here

Option B: Environment variable​

Export the key directly in your shell:

  • Windows (PowerShell): 
    $env:PATBA_API_KEY="your_secret_api_key_here"
  • macOS / Linux: 
    export PATBA_API_KEY="your_secret_api_key_here"
caution

If PATBA_API_KEY is not set by either method, the CLI prints an error and exits immediately (process.exit(1)) before starting the REPL or bridge server.

Key masking​

When the interactive REPL starts, it prints the configured key back to you for confirmation — but masked via maskKey(). Keys longer than 8 characters are shown as first4...last4 (for example abcd...wxyz); shorter keys are shown as ****. The full key is never logged.