Skip to main content

Safe Logout: Preserve Keychain Credentials by Default

· One min read
Erik Osterman
Erik Osterman
Founder @ Cloud Posse

atmos auth logout now preserves keychain credentials by default for faster re-authentication. Only session data is cleared. Use --keychain to permanently delete credentials.

What Changed​

Before: atmos auth logout deleted everything (keychain credentials + session data) After: atmos auth logout only clears session data, preserves keychain credentials

This means you don't have to re-enter access keys every time you log back in.

Why This Matters​

Most logouts are temporary (end of day, switching identities), not permanent credential removal. Forcing credential re-entry every time encourages users to skip logout entirely.

Now logout is fast and reversible:

# End of day
$ atmos auth logout dev-admin
✓ Cleared session data
✓ Preserved keychain credentials

# Next morning - instant re-authentication
$ atmos auth login dev-admin
✓ Authenticated as dev-admin

Permanently Delete Credentials​

Use --keychain when you need to remove credentials permanently:

atmos auth logout dev-admin --keychain

Interactive confirmation prevents accidents. Use --force for CI/CD:

atmos auth logout dev-admin --keychain --force

Migration​

If your scripts expect the old behavior (delete everything), add --keychain:

atmos auth logout dev-admin --keychain --force

For most users, no changes needed.

Read more: atmos auth logout