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Signing in and credentials

Source: vignettes/authentication.Rmd
authentication.Rmd

Versión en español: vignette("authentication-es", package = "ellmercodex").

ellmercodex never signs in on its own. Loading the package, running its examples, building its vignettes, and running its tests do not open a browser, read stored credentials, or make network requests. Authentication happens only when you call codex_login().

How sign-in works 

auth <- codex_login()
codex_account(auth)

codex_login() opens a browser where you choose a ChatGPT account and workspace and allow ChatGPT plan usage. Behind the scenes it:

  • receives the callback on http://127.0.0.1:1455/callback (set ELLMERCODEX_CALLBACK_PORT to use another port);
  • checks the OAuth state and exchanges the PKCE-protected code using the client ID that OpenAI issued for this registration;
  • verifies the ID token and checks that the chatgpt.tokens.use.direct scope was granted.

The first sign-in creates a registration bound to the chosen account and workspace; later sign-ins reuse it.

codex_account() shows a summary of the sign-in state. It never prints tokens and redacts the account identifier.

Where credentials are stored

Credentials are saved in credentials.json inside tools::R_user_dir("ellmercodex", "config"). The file is written atomically, with permissions for your user only. ellmercodex does not use the macOS Keychain or another operating-system keyring, and it never reads the Codex CLI’s credential file or another application’s session.

To use another private directory, set ELLMERCODEX_HOME before the first credential access:

Sys.setenv(ELLMERCODEX_HOME = "/path/to/a/private/directory")

The same directory holds host-id, a stable, opaque host identifier that OpenAI requires before the first sign-in.

Access tokens last an hour and are refreshed automatically. Refresh tokens rotate, so refreshes are serialized across R processes that share the directory.

Sign in for one session only

Set persist = FALSE to keep the credential only in the current R process:

auth <- codex_login(persist = FALSE)
chat <- chat_codex()

The tokens are never written to disk, and codex_logout() clears them.

Sign out or switch accounts

codex_logout() revokes the refresh token with OpenAI (pass revoke = FALSE to skip this), then removes the package’s credential file and any process-only credential. It keeps the host identifier and does not touch credentials that belong to the Codex CLI or other clients.

To use another account or workspace, sign out and call codex_login() again.

Upgrading from 0.1.x

Version 0.2.0 moved to OpenAI’s documented “Sign in with ChatGPT” flow. Credentials from 0.1.x are not kept, so sign in again with codex_login() after upgrading.

Hosted apps (experimental)

OpenAI limits ChatGPT plan usage to open-source and locally hosted apps. For your own app on your own Linux VM, the experimental single-process deployment guide describes one setup. Apps that serve other people need OpenAI’s approval first.