account-setup

Lane Account Setup

lane-cli init is a browser-driven sign-up / log-in. The agent runs the command and guides the user through whatever the browser asks for. The user should never have to type anything.

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+ on the user's machine.
• @getonlane/lane-cli installed (npm install -g @getonlane/lane-cli) or available via npx.

Step 1 — Run the command

The agent runs:

lane-cli init --intent login

Use --intent signup instead if the user needs to create a new account. The --intent flag skips the interactive terminal prompt so the agent can run this without a TTY. The CLI opens a browser automatically. Tell the user: "A browser just opened — please sign in to your Lane account."

Step 2 — User completes the browser flow

The user signs up (or logs in) in the browser. The CLI shows a Waiting for sign-up… spinner until the browser flow finishes. The agent waits.

If the user closes the browser by accident, the CLI keeps spinning. The agent re-runs lane-cli init.

Step 3 — Sync the API key into the plugin (no typing, no pasting)

lane-cli init writes the user's account API key to ~/.lane/config.json. The intent-mcp and checkout-mcp servers authenticate with that same key. If the plugin's key differs, the MCP servers resolve to a different Lane account than the CLI — and the approval page won't see the card the user enrolled. So the moment login succeeds, the agent copies the key into the plugin config.

The plugin's API-key field is intentionally left blank at install — this step fills it. The agent runs the bundled sync script (it lives at scripts/sync-api-key.mjs in the plugin root — one level up from this skills directory; substitute this skill's base directory for <plugin>):

node "<plugin>/scripts/sync-api-key.mjs"

The script reads ~/.lane/config.json and writes the key to ~/.claude/settings.json under pluginConfigs["lane@lane-cli"].options.lane_api_key (idempotent — it preserves all other settings and no-ops if already in sync). Then tell the user:

"Run /reload-plugins so Lane's payment servers reconnect with your account."

MCP servers read their auth header only when they connect, so the new key takes effect on the next /reload-plugins (or restart) — not mid-connection.

Run this step again any time the user re-runs lane-cli init or switches Lane accounts, so the plugin always tracks the CLI's current login.

Step 4 — Chain into wallet setup if needed

After successful sign-up, the CLI may prompt:

Want to add a card now?

If it does and the user wants to add a card, the agent can continue directly into the wallet-setup flow.

Verifying

lane-cli wallet ls

• Empty wallet → user signed up but skipped the card step. Continue to wallet-setup.
• "Lane isn't set up on this machine yet" → init did not complete. Re-run it.

Notes

• The agent cannot script the browser interaction itself — it can only run the CLI and narrate what the user needs to do in the browser.
• Always pass --intent login or --intent signup — this skips the Clack picker and lets the agent run without a TTY.
• If the browser doesn't open automatically, the CLI prints a URL — tell the user to copy and open it.

Common Issues

Symptom	Fix
Browser doesn't open	CLI prints the URL — tell the user to open it manually.
Spinner hangs forever	User closed the browser early. Agent re-runs lane-cli init --intent login.
"Already authenticated"	Account already exists locally. Skip to wallet-setup.
Times out	Agent re-runs lane-cli init --intent login.

Handoff

Once the user is signed in, continue to wallet-setup to add a card and enable it for agentic payments.