login - OAuth Authentication

Overview#

The login command authenticates you with nmbl using OAuth through your Google account. Authentication is required to use most nmbl commands. The authentication process opens your default web browser and securely stores credentials locally.

Syntax#

nmbl login

Authentication Flow#

1. Run nmbl login
2. Your default browser opens to the Google OAuth page
3. Sign in with your Google account
4. Grant permissions to nmbl
5. Authentication token is stored locally
6. You’re ready to use nmbl commands

Examples#

First Time Setup#

# Install nmbl
dotnet tool install --global nmbl

# Authenticate
nmbl login

# Verify authentication
nmbl whoami

Re-authenticate After Token Expiry#

# If you see authentication errors
nmbl login

# Try the command again
nmbl cc src/

Authenticate on a New Machine#

# After installing nmbl on a new machine
nmbl login

Use Cases#

Initial Setup#

# Complete setup process
dotnet tool install --global nmbl
nmbl login
nmbl --version

Team Onboarding#

# New team member setup
dotnet tool install --global nmbl
nmbl login
# Now ready to use team commands

CI/CD Authentication#

For CI/CD environments, you may need to use alternative authentication methods or license keys. See the Authentication documentation for details.

Token Storage#

Authentication tokens are stored:

• Location: In your user profile directory
• Security: Encrypted and accessible only to your user account
• Persistence: Tokens persist across sessions until they expire or you log out

Troubleshooting#

Browser Doesn’t Open#

If the browser doesn’t open automatically:

1. Copy the URL from the console output
2. Manually paste it into your browser
3. Complete the authentication flow

Authentication Fails#

If authentication fails:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Ensure you have a Google account
3. Try logging out and back in:

   nmbl logout
   nmbl login

Permission Denied#

If you see permission errors:

• Ensure you have write access to your user profile directory
• On Linux/Mac, check file permissions
• Try running without sudo (don’t use sudo with login)

Corporate Firewall#

If behind a corporate firewall:

• Ensure OAuth URLs aren’t blocked
• Check with your IT department
• Consider using license key authentication instead

Authentication Methods#

nmbl supports multiple authentication methods:

OAuth (Google)#

nmbl login

Best for individual developers.

License Key#

See Authentication documentation for license key setup.

Security Best Practices#

Don’t Share Tokens#

• Never share your authentication token
• Don’t commit tokens to version control
• Don’t share screenshots containing token information

Regular Re-authentication#

# Periodically re-authenticate for security
nmbl logout
nmbl login

Machine-Specific Authentication#

# Authenticate separately on each machine
# Don't copy tokens between machines

Related Commands#

• logout - Clear authentication tokens
• whoami - Check authentication status
• Authentication Guide - Detailed authentication documentation