Sign in with Buoy

Your Buoy account turns on Buoy, the same way a key does. You sign in once on each computer, browser or site. Keys still work everywhere.

Your dev builds

Run this in your app's folder:

npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy login

npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy login

Your browser opens buoy.gg. Click Allow. The CLI then writes a dev token to your env file, under the same name a key used to have, such as EXPO_PUBLIC_BUOY_KEY or VITE_BUOY_KEY. Pass it to Buoy as you would a key.

A dev token only works in dev builds and sims. If one ends up in a shipped app, it opens nothing there. It lasts 30 days. After that, Buoy asks you to run buoy login again.

On Expo, Vite and Next.js, the token goes in .env.development.local. Other projects get .env.local.

Two more commands:

npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy whoami   # are you signed in?
npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy logout   # sign this computer out

npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy whoami   # are you signed in?
npx --package=@buoy-gg/core buoy logout   # sign this computer out

Desktop and the MCP

In Buoy Desktop, click Sign in with buoy.gg. Desktop keeps your sign-in in your computer's keychain, and you stay in after restarts. Sign out ends it on buoy.gg too.

The MCP uses the sign-in from buoy login. You don't need a key in your project for the MCP.

Your live site

A live site can turn on Buoy for your own admins and testers, with no key in the build.

1. Add your site at buoy.gg/dashboard/sites. Use its address, like https://app.example.com.
2. Add signIn to FloatingDevTools:

<FloatingDevTools modules={modules} signIn />

<FloatingDevTools modules={modules} signIn />

A "Sign in to Buoy" button shows in the corner. It opens a buoy.gg window that asks to let your site use Buoy. After that, Buoy opens, and it stays open after reloads.

Only show FloatingDevTools to your own people. Your app decides who sees it, the same as before.

Buoy on a live site needs a Pro or Business plan. A free account sees a note that asks for a plan.

The live site button is for the web today.

How long you stay in

You stay signed in as long as you use Buoy at least once every 60 days. Buoy renews your sign-in in the background.

With no internet, Buoy keeps working for 7 days. Then the tools lock until it can check in.

If someone leaves your team, or you remove a site, Buoy stops for them within 12 hours.

Teams

Business teams are run from the Team page. A team admin can:

• invite people by email, up to the seats you bought;
• give each person a role, like dev or qa;
• remove people, which frees their seat;
• list the team's live sites, which every member then uses.

Keys for bots and CI

Bots and CI can't click a sign-in button. On the Team page, a team admin can make a bot key. It starts with bsk1_. You see it once, so copy it right away.

Put the bot key where a license key goes, such as a CI secret that sets EXPO_PUBLIC_BUOY_KEY. Buoy trades it for a pass that lasts a day. Delete the key on the Team page, and the bot stops within a day.