FAQ
Does my phone need to be online?
Section titled “Does my phone need to be online?”Yes, for requests that need its response. Automatic approval, temporary access, and AI review still depend on the phone; they don’t let the client fetch stored secrets while it is offline.
The client can wait for the phone to reconnect. See Troubleshooting for a request that stays waiting.
What if I lose or replace my phone?
Section titled “What if I lose or replace my phone?”Set up the replacement phone, add your credentials, and pair your computers again. Each installation has its own encryption keys.
Android backups can restore metadata, history, and encrypted data, but not the keys needed to read secret values or private keys. Recover credentials from another source or replace them at their services. A key generated only on the old phone needs a replacement if that phone’s copy is no longer usable.
See Security and backup before relying on a phone backup for recovery.
Can I use more than one computer or phone?
Section titled “Can I use more than one computer or phone?”One phone can serve several paired clients. Each phone has its own vault and pairings; setting up another phone does not give it access to the first phone’s vault.
A CLI client has only one pending or active pairing per Agentknock directory. To switch phones in that directory, remove the old pairing and pair again, or select a separate directory for another phone.
Does Agentknock need an AI agent?
Section titled “Does Agentknock need an AI agent?”No. You can run commands yourself or from scripts. A coding agent uses the same CLI to request credentials.
AI review is a separate, optional feature that decides requests using their context and your instructions. You can use a coding agent with manual approval, or AI review for commands you run yourself. See AI review.
Do I need to approve every request myself?
Section titled “Do I need to approve every request myself?”No. You can decide requests yourself, grant temporary access, allow them automatically, or use AI review. Choose the rules for each secret and client in Set access for each computer.
What costs money?
Section titled “What costs money?”AI review is the paid feature, with a free trial for eligible first-time subscribers. Secret storage, pairing, CLI use, manual approval, automatic approval, and temporary access are free.
See Pricing for reference prices and Settings → Plan and billing for available offers and terms. If AI access becomes inactive, affected requests come to you for a decision; your secrets and instructions remain. Resetting Agentknock does not stop automatic renewal. See Plan and billing to manage or cancel a recurring subscription.
Do secrets ever leave my phone?
Section titled “Do secrets ever leave my phone?”Passwords and API tokens are delivered to the command through its environment or standard input. Agentknock doesn’t save them in its client configuration or project files, but a command that receives them can copy or retain them.
For SSH authentication and Git signing, the phone uses the private key and returns a signature. The private key is not delivered to the client. See Are my secrets safe?.
Can the relay or AI reviewer read my secrets?
Section titled “Can the relay or AI reviewer read my secrets?”The relay cannot decrypt protected client-phone messages. The optional AI reviewer receives request context, your instructions, and values marked non-sensitive. Sensitive stored values and private SSH keys are excluded.
Command arguments, reasons, instructions, and captured script source are part of the review context, so don’t put credentials there. See AI review settings.
Why can a client still list a secret set to Deny?
Section titled “Why can a client still list a secret set to Deny?”Deny blocks sensitive value delivery and private-key operations. It does not hide secret names, descriptions, variable names, or public SSH keys from active paired clients. Non-sensitive values also remain available without approval.
To stop a client’s access altogether, suspend or revoke it. See Secret access settings for the distinction.
Does revoking a client stop a command already running?
Section titled “Does revoking a client stop a command already running?”No. Revocation stops future access through that pairing. It cannot recall a delivered password, undo a signature, or end a session already opened at another service. Ending temporary access has the same limitation.
Stop the command or session separately, and revoke or replace the credential at its service when needed. See Set access for each computer.
Does deleting a secret revoke its token?
Section titled “Does deleting a secret revoke its token?”No. Deleting removes the item and its access settings from Agentknock. It does not revoke an API token or remove an SSH public key from servers where you registered it.
Use Replace a password or key to retire a credential, or Delete your data to remove Agentknock data.