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67 changes: 67 additions & 0 deletions docs/Getting-Started/polykey-cli/list-of-commands.md
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As was discussed this sprint, https://polykey.com/docs/reference/polykey-cli/commands/ already exists in Polykey docs for referencing the commands and all the commands that exist. The function for some would be obvious, some would be a bit harder to understand. To start off, fill in all the commands you know or were able to figure out, and flag the ones you haven't touched yet.

Then, for each command you are going over, read the relevant section in the documentation and test the different commands/usages yourself using your own polykey agent to confirm if they are still accurate or not. This is important, as we don't want outdated or wrong information, and ChatGPT has a tendency to generate both valid and invalid commands. You need to be careful.

Some commands might have not changed much, like maybe polykey vaults ls. Confirm by running the commands locally that it matches the expectation, then continue if there's nothing to change.

Run polykey locally using polykey ... --help, where you put the relevant command or subcommand in the .... The --help flag will tell you the description of the command, and subcommands or arguments if applicable. You can use that to get a preview of the commands and their structure. Make sure the structure on the docs reflect the actual structure locally.

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# Polykey CLI Command Reference

This page provides an overview of available `polykey` CLI commands, organized by
category.

Each command links to a page with detailed usage, flags, and examples.

---

## Vault Commands

- [`vaults create`](./vaults.md)
- [`vaults list`](./vaults.md)
- [`vaults unlock`](./vaults.md)
- [`vaults lock`](./vaults.md)

## Secret Commands

- [`secrets put`](./secrets.md)
- [`secrets get`](./secrets.md)
- [`secrets delete`](./secrets.md)
- [`secrets list`](./secrets.md)

## Identity Commands

- [`identities create`](./identities.md)
- [`identities list`](./identities.md)
- [`identities show`](./identities.md)

## Key Commands

- [`keys generate`](./keys.md)
- [`keys import`](./keys.md)
- [`keys export`](./keys.md)

## Node Commands

- [`nodes list`](./nodes.md)
- [`nodes ping`](./nodes.md)
- [`nodes connect`](./nodes.md)

## Notification Commands

- [`notifications list`](./notifications.md)
- [`notifications read`](./notifications.md)

## Agent Commands

- [`agent start`](./agent.md)
- [`agent stop`](./agent.md)
- [`agent status`](./agent.md)

## Bootstrap Command

- [`bootstrap`](./bootstrap.md)

## Audit Command

- [`audit`](./audit.md)

---

To see detailed help for any command, run:

```shell
polykey -help
```
186 changes: 186 additions & 0 deletions docs/Getting-Started/polykey-cli/running-the-agent-with-systemd.md
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# Polykey Agent: Service and Programs Module Documentation

This guide introduces and explains the newly added `services` and `programs`
modules for managing the Polykey Agent using `systemd`. These modules were
introduced as part of a broader effort to improve automation, reliability, and
user experience across both user-level and system-wide contexts.

## Background

The Polykey Agent is a long-lived background process that facilitates secure
secret management and distributed key infrastructure. Traditionally, users had
to manually start the agent from the terminal. To streamline this, two modules
were introduced:

- **programs:** Configures user-level services for personal development and
desktop use.
- **services:** Configures system-level services for shared machines and server
environments.

These modules utilize `systemd`, a service manager used in most Linux
distributions. git st :::note Note On NixOS, Polykey is not configured through
.service files, but instead through the Home Manager or Nix configuration. See
the NixOS integration section below. :::

## What is systemd?

systemd is the default init and service manager in most Linux distros. It allows
you to:

- Start, stop, and restart background services.
- Automatically launch services at boot or login.
- View logs and monitor service health.

`systemd` uses unit files (like `.service`) to define how services behave.

### Key Concepts

**User vs System Services**

| Mode | Controlled By | Suitable For | Config Path |
| ---------- | ------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| **User** | Regular user | Local development, personal use | `~/.config/systemd/user/` |
| **System** | Root/admin | Shared systems, production use | `/etc/systemd/system/` |

The new modules are designed to target both these contexts.

#### Programs Module (User Services)

The `programs` module sets up a user-level `systemd` service that:

- Starts the agent on login.
- Runs the agent under the current user.
- Stores logs in the user’s journal.

### Setup Instructions (User Mode)

1. Ensure the Polykey binary is installed and accessible via `$PATH`.
2. Copy the service file to:

```sh
mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
cp polykey-agent.service ~/.config/systemd/user/
```

3. Enable and start the service:

```shell
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable polykey-agent
systemctl --user start polykey-agent
```

4. Verify it’s running:

```shell
systemctl --user status polykey-agent
journalctl --user -u polykey-agent
```

#### Services Module (System Services)

The services module sets up a root-owned service that:

- Runs globally for all users.
- Is launched at boot.
- Is managed from `/etc/systemd/system/`.

##### Setup Instructions (System Mode)

1. Copy the service file to:

```shell
sudo cp polykey-agent.service /etc/systemd/system/
```

2. Enable and start the service:

```shell
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable polykey-agent
sudo systemctl start polykey-agent
```

3. Check status:

```shell
sudo systemctl status polykey-agent
sudo journalctl -u polykey-agent
```

## Configuration Details

The service files can be customized:

- `ExecStart` can point to any valid Polykey binary.
- `Environment` variables like `NODE_ENV`, `POLYKEY_DATA_PATH` can be passed in.
- Restart policies and timeouts can be modified.

To override a system service without editing the base file:

```shell
sudo systemctl edit polykey-agent
```

**Note for NixOS users:** These overrides are not applicable. See the next
section.

### Handling Secrets & Recovery Codes

The new modules support secure handling of recovery codes and agent secrets:

- Set environment variables or use configuration files in the home directory.
- Avoid running agents as root unless necessary.
- For system mode, ensure secrets are stored in restricted root-only paths.

#### Troubleshooting

- **“Service not found”:**

* Run `daemon-reload` after copying or editing unit files. (Not needed in NixOS)

- **“Permission denied”:**

* Ensure system-level services are started with `sudo`.

- **Service not starting:**

* Run `journalctl -u polykey-agent` for logs.

- **User services not auto-starting:**

* Check that `linger` is enabled for the user:

```shell
sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
```

### NixOS Integration

On NixOS, service setup is handled via Home Manager or system configuration, not
.service files. Here’s a basic example of configuring Polykey in home.nix:

```nix
polykey = rec {
enable = true;
passwordFilePath = "/home/user/.polykeypass";
recoveryCodeOutPath = "/home/user/.polykeyrecovery";
};
```

- enable will activate the service.
- passwordFilePath provides the path to read the vault password.
- recoveryCodeOutPath sets the location to write recovery codes.

**More references:**

- Polykey Nixpkg (private)
- Home Manager Infra Docs

**Use Cases**

- Developers: Enable `programs` to automatically start the agent at login.
- Sysadmins: Deploy `services` module for always-on availability of the agent
across all users.
- Security-sensitive installations: Customize environment securely and inspect
logs via `journalctl`.
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions sidebars.ts
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Expand Up @@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const sidebars: SidebarsConfig = {
'Getting-Started/polykey-cli/sharing-vaults',
'Getting-Started/polykey-cli/managing-multiple-nodes',
'Getting-Started/polykey-cli/using-environment-variables',
'Getting-Started/polykey-cli/running-the-agent-with-systemd',
],
},
],
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