---
title: "Error: missing_credentials"
description: "The request had no Bearer token, session cookie, or CLI token."
---

> Documentation Index
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# Error: missing_credentials

## What it means

The DeviceSDK API rejected the request because it could not find any of the three accepted authentication mechanisms:

- A `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header - used by the dashboard and by direct API consumers.
- A session cookie set by the dashboard login flow.
- A `dsdk_*` CLI token - issued by `devicesdk login` and stored at `~/.devicesdk/credentials.json`.

## Common causes and fixes

- **You're calling the API directly without an auth header.** Add `Authorization: Bearer <token>`. Get a token with `devicesdk login` (writes to `~/.devicesdk/credentials.json`) or from your server's dashboard *Tokens* page.
- **You're running the CLI without logging in.** Run `devicesdk login` (the CLI auto-discovers your server via mDNS) and re-try. If mDNS isn't available on your network, run `devicesdk login --host http://<server>:8080`.
- **No server is configured.** The host comes from (in order) `DEVICESDK_API_URL`, the `--host` flag, the host saved in `~/.devicesdk/credentials.json`, or mDNS auto-discovery. If none resolves, log in first: `devicesdk login`.
- **Your script is running in CI without a token.** Issue a token from your server's dashboard and set `DEVICESDK_TOKEN` on the CI runner (point it at your server with `DEVICESDK_API_URL`).

## Related

- [`invalid_token`](../invalid_token/) - the request *did* carry a token, but it didn't match any account.
- [`invalid_cli_token`](../invalid_cli_token/) - same idea, scoped to CLI tokens.

Source: https://docs.devicesdk.com/errors/missing_credentials/index.mdx