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Desktop app first run: sign in with the browser (or paste an API key)

You might be here because: “the app says waiting for browser confirmation forever” · “sign in with browser didn’t open anything” · “authorization expired, click sign in with browser to try again” · “where do I enter the verification code” · “do I need a license key” · “cloud or self-hosted, which do I pick” · “setup wizard stuck / can’t get past sign in” · “how do I log in to the app” · “just installed, what now” · “download the app”

Short answer

There is no license key to buy or find. On first launch, choose Cloud or Self-hosted, then click Sign in with browser: the app opens the dashboard, shows you a short verification code, and waits. Enter the code in the browser, confirm, and the app continues on its own — an API key is created for your account and saved securely on this computer. Pasting an API key is the fallback, not the normal path.

Check first

  • Do you have a dashboard account and a verified email? Browser sign-in signs into that account.
  • Did the browser actually open? If not, the wizard offers Paste an API key instead after a short wait.
  • Is the code you typed the one currently shown in the app? Never share it with someone who contacted you.

Likely causes and fixes

  1. “Waiting for you to confirm in the browser…” doesn’t finish. The app polls every 2 seconds for up to 5 minutes. Finish in the browser: sign in, enter the code, confirm. The app updates automatically.
  2. “Authorization expired. Click ‘Sign in with browser’ to try again.” More than 5 minutes passed, or the server marked the code expired. Click the button again for a fresh code.
  3. Browser tab never opened. Wait for the “Taking a while?” hint, then either retry or Paste an API key instead — create one in the dashboard’s API keys page.
  4. “This server does not support secure browser sign-in.” Self-hosted: the server is older than the app. Update both, or paste a key made on that server. A self-hosted server without this feature answers “CLI authorization is not configured on this server”.
  5. “The server’s sign-in page address wasn’t one this app expects.” Check the server address in Settings, or paste a key.
  6. “Authorized, but the API key couldn’t be saved. Check system credential access.” The browser step worked; the computer’s secure storage refused the save. See App can’t use the computer’s secure storage.
  7. “Device verification code does not match.” You typed a different code than the app shows; retry with the current one.
  8. Wrong deployment picked. Cloud uses Driftstack’s server; self-hosted is your own URL. A cloud key never works on a self-hosted server and vice versa.

If it still fails

Press Talk to a person in this chat (or open Help) and include the exact sentence in the wizard, cloud or self-hosted, and the app version from Settings. Nothing here needs a person unless your dashboard account itself can’t sign in.