# CLI

The `playmolecule` command-line entry point exists for one job: authenticating against an HTTP backend in environments where launching a Python interpreter to call {py:func}`~playmolecule.login` is awkward (CI, container init scripts, shell-only operators).

```text
playmolecule {login,logout}
```

## `playmolecule login`

Authenticate against the HTTP backend configured in `PM_EXECUTOR` (or the HTTP entry in `PM_REGISTRIES`). On success, a session cookie is written under `PM_COOKIE_CACHE_DIR` (default `~/.cache/playmolecule/cookies/`) and used by every subsequent PlayMolecule call from this user.

```text
playmolecule login [--email EMAIL] [--password PASSWORD]
```

| Option       | Source if not provided                                                                                                       |
|--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `--email`    | `PLAYMOLECULE_EMAIL`, then `PM_EMAIL`. Required.                                                                            |
| `--password` | `PLAYMOLECULE_PASSWORD`, then `PM_PASSWORD`, then an interactive prompt (via `getpass`).                                    |

Exits non-zero on failure, printing the underlying error.

### Examples

```bash
# Interactive — prompt for the password
playmolecule login --email you@example.com

# CI-friendly — credentials from environment
export PM_EMAIL=ci@example.com
export PM_PASSWORD='••••••••••'
playmolecule login
```

## `playmolecule logout`

Clears the cached cookie for the current user, both in memory and on disk.

```text
playmolecule logout
```

Always exits zero, even if there was no active session.

## See also

- [Log in to the HTTP backend](../howto/log-in-to-the-http-backend.md)
- [Environment variables](environment-variables.md)
- {py:func}`~playmolecule.login`
- {py:func}`~playmolecule.logout`