> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.orchard.airoverflow.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.orchard.airoverflow.com/cli/auth.md).

# Authentication

The CLI reads the same environment the SDKs do. Export your control-plane URL and an API key (`orc_…`, minted in the console under **Access → API keys** or with `orchard key add`):

```bash
export ORCHARD_API_URL="https://orchard.example.com"
export ORCHARD_API_KEY="orc_live_xxx"
```

| Variable          | Flag      | Meaning                                                      |
| ----------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `ORCHARD_API_URL` | `--url`   | Control-plane URL. (`ORCHARD_URL` is a legacy alias.)        |
| `ORCHARD_API_KEY` | `--token` | API key (`orc_…`) or a JWT access token.                     |
| `ORCHARD_ORG`     | `--org`   | Organization slug (ignored for API keys, they're org-bound). |
| `ORCHARD_WS`      | `--ws`    | Workspace slug.                                              |

A flag overrides the matching variable, so you can target another control plane for a single call:

```bash
orchard --url https://staging.orchard.example.com --token orc_staging sandbox list
```

Add `--json` to any command for scriptable output:

```bash
orchard --json sandbox list | jq '.[].name'
```

For CI and shared use, prefer a [scoped key](/cli/access/keys.md) limited to the sandboxes and capabilities that job needs.

Next: [sandbox](/cli/managing-sandboxes/sandbox.md).


---

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