DorkOS Accounts & Linking Instances
Create a DorkOS account, link a self-hosted instance from the CLI or Settings, and manage linked instances at dorkos.ai
DorkOS Accounts & Linking Instances
Link a self-hosted instance to a free DorkOS account and you get one page that lists every machine you run DorkOS on, with a pulse for each: what version it runs and when it last checked in. And to be clear up front: you never need an account. Everything else in these docs works without one.
A DorkOS account is an identity at dorkos.ai. It is separate from the optional login on a self-hosted instance: the login protects one machine, while the account is what your instances attach to. The two are independent. You can run a local login with no account, hold an account with no login, or both.
A DorkOS account and a local login are never merged. Linking registers an instance with your account; it does not move your local login into the cloud or vice versa.
What linking does today
Linking an instance to your DorkOS account today gives you:
- A registry of your instances at dorkos.ai/account/instances: name, platform, DorkOS version, and when each was last seen.
- A heartbeat: while linked, an instance checks in on startup and every 15 minutes, so the registry shows what is live.
- Revocation: unlink an instance from the dashboard at any time.
Linking lays the track; the trains come later. Relay, notifications, and remote access will ride this connection in future releases, and they are not available yet. Link today to claim your account and register your instances.
Creating a DorkOS account
Sign up at dorkos.ai
Go to dorkos.ai/signup. Sign up with email and password, or Continue with GitHub / Continue with Google.
Verify your email
Email/password sign-ups receive a verification link. Click it to confirm your address. Sign-in stays blocked until you do. Social sign-in accounts are verified by the provider.
You have an account
You land on dorkos.ai/account: your profile, verification status, and sign-out. Instances you link appear under Instances.
Linking an instance from the CLI
dorkos cloud login runs a device-authorization flow (the same short-code pairing streaming apps use) directly against the cloud. It needs no running server, and it works even on a machine with no browser:
dorkos cloud loginRead the code
The CLI prints an 8-character code and opens dorkos.ai/activate in your browser (the URL is always printed too, for no-browser environments). If you have ever paired a TV remote, you know this dance.
Approve at dorkos.ai/activate
Sign in if you are not already, confirm the code matches, and Approve. The page shows the instance's name and platform before you approve.
Linked
The CLI stores a scoped instance key and starts heartbeating. Check the link anytime:
dorkos cloud status # linked account and instance name, or "not linked"
dorkos cloud logout # clear the local linkLinking from Settings
If you prefer the UI, open Settings → DorkOS account in the DorkOS client (visible whether or not local login is on):
Link this instance
Click Link this instance. The panel shows the same 8-character code and an Open dorkos.ai/activate button (the code is pre-filled).
Approve, and watch it flip
Approve at /activate. The panel updates in place, from pending to linked, showing the linked account, the instance name, and the last heartbeat. An expired code offers Generate a new code.
The instance registry
dorkos.ai/account/instances lists every linked instance with its name, platform, DorkOS version, last-seen time, and linked date.
Revoking an instance
Revoke from the dashboard
On /account/instances, click Revoke next to an instance and confirm. This deletes the instance's key server-side.
The instance unlinks itself
On its next heartbeat the instance gets a 401, clears its stored key, and shows "This instance was unlinked." Re-link anytime with dorkos cloud login or the Settings panel.
Revoking only removes the cloud link. Running sessions, agents, and everything stored on that machine keep working, untouched.
For local dev against a self-hosted copy of the site, point an instance at it with the
DORKOS_CLOUD_URL environment variable (default https://dorkos.ai).
Your Claude and Anthropic credentials
Linking to a DorkOS account never touches, proxies, or stores your Anthropic or Claude credentials. An instance sends only a name, platform, and version to the cloud. Your Claude quota and API keys stay entirely on your machine.