---
title: connect / disconnect
description: Connecting a node to ClawMetry Cloud — every flag on connect, the ownership OTP, deferred sync, key-only mode, and how to cleanly disconnect.
keywords: clawmetry connect, clawmetry cloud sync, clawmetry disconnect, agent cloud dashboard
eyebrow: CLI reference
---

# `clawmetry connect` / `disconnect`

Activate or stop cloud sync for this node.

```bash
clawmetry connect --key cm_xxx
clawmetry disconnect
```

Connecting does not change what ClawMetry observes or how. It adds one thing:
the daemon builds an encrypted snapshot and pushes it upward. Session content is
AES-256-GCM encrypted before it leaves the machine —
[End-to-end encryption](/docs/cloud/encryption/) has the field-level detail.

## `connect` flags

| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
| `--key cm_xxx` | API key, skipping the prompt |
| `--enc-key KEY` | Encryption key, skipping the prompt. For automated and sandbox use. |
| `--node-id NAME` | Custom node name (default: the hostname) |
| `--start-sync-now` | Skip the ownership OTP and start syncing immediately |
| `--defer-sync` | Connect but leave sync paused; start it later with `clawmetry sync` |
| `--no-daemon` | Connect but do not start the daemon — you supervise it externally |
| `--key-only` | Save key and configuration only, do not start the daemon |
| `--force` | Override the persistent local-only marker and connect anyway |
| `--foreground` | Run the daemon in the foreground |

## The ownership OTP

Connecting a node to an account is a claim of ownership, so by default it is
verified with a one-time code. The command you copy out of the dashboard already
carries `--start-sync-now`, because in that flow the browser session has already
proved who you are.

Sync-on-connect is the default; `--start-sync-now` only skips the verification
step.

## Deferring sync

```bash
clawmetry connect --key cm_xxx --defer-sync
# later, when you are ready for data to move:
clawmetry sync
```

Useful when provisioning a machine before it has anything worth syncing, or when
you want the configuration in place but the data flow gated on a separate
approval.

## Key-only and no-daemon

Two different things:

- `--key-only` writes the key and configuration and stops. Nothing is started.
- `--no-daemon` completes the connect but leaves the daemon for your own
  supervisor to run.

Use `--no-daemon` under supervisord or a systemd unit you maintain; use
`--key-only` when a host process handles the lifecycle entirely.

## Self-hosted endpoints

```bash
CLAWMETRY_ENDPOINT=https://clawmetry.internal.example.com \
  clawmetry connect --key cm_xxx
```

→ [Self-hosted ingest](/docs/cloud/self-hosted/)

## `disconnect`

```bash
clawmetry disconnect
```

Stops cloud sync and removes the key. Your local store is untouched — every
session, every event, all of your history stays exactly where it was. The
dashboard keeps working; it simply stops pushing.

## `account`

```bash
clawmetry account
```

Shows the account this node is attached to, or links an email address to it.

## Checking state

```bash
clawmetry status --json | jq '{cloud, node_id, endpoint, last_push}'
clawmetry status --show-key           # reveal the secret key
```

`--show-key` prints a credential to your terminal. Be deliberate about where.