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Version: 16.x

tctl CLI reference

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tctl is a CLI tool that allows a cluster administrator to manage all resources in a cluster, including nodes, users, tokens, certificates, and devices.

tctl can also be used to modify the dynamic configuration of the cluster, such as creating new user roles or connecting to trusted clusters.

Authentication​

Before running tctl commands, administrators must authenticate to a Teleport cluster. This section explains how tctl authenticates to the cluster.

On a remote host with an identity file​

tctl can authenticate with a user-provided identity file. The Teleport Auth Service signs an identity file when a user runs tctl auth sign or tsh login --out=<output-path>, and the user can include the path to the identity file in the --identity flag when running tctl commands.

When using the --identity flag, the user must provide the --auth-server flag with the address of an Auth Service or Proxy Service so tctl knows which cluster to authenticate to.

On the same host as the Teleport Auth Service​

If there is a Teleport configuration file on the host where tctl is run, tctl attempts to authenticate to the Auth Service named in the configuration file using an identity stored in its local backend.

tctl authenticates using this method if a configuration file exists at /etc/teleport.yaml or TELEPORT_CONFIG_FILE points to a configuration file in another location. If the auth_service is disabled in the configuration file, then the configuration file is ignored.

note

Note that when a tctl command is run locally on the Auth Service, the audit logs will show that it was performed by the Auth Service itself.

To provide an accurate audit trail, it is important to limit direct SSH access to the Auth Service with Access Controls and ensure that admins use tctl remotely instead.

On a remote host after running tsh login​

If tctl cannot find a local Teleport configuration file or a user-provided identity file, it attempts to load the user's tsh profile to authenticate to the cluster. The tsh profile is created when a user runs tsh login.

tctl reads the TELEPORT_CONFIG_FILE environment variable to determine if a Teleport configuration file is present. If you are using your tsh profile to authenticate tctl, you must ensure that one of these conditions is true:

tctl global flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
-d, --debugnonenoneEnable verbose logging to stderr
-c, --config/etc/teleport.yamlstring filepathPath to a configuration file
--auth-servernonehost:portAttempts to connect to specific Auth/Proxy Service address(es) instead of a local Auth Service (127.0.0.1:3025)
-i, --identitynonestring filepathPath to an identity file
--insecurenonenoneWhen specifying a Proxy Service address in --auth-server, do not verify its TLS certificate. Danger: any data you send can be intercepted or modified by an attacker

tctl acl get​

Gets and displays information about a particular access list.

tctl acl get <id>

tctl acl ls​

Lists Access Lists on the cluster.

tctl acl ls

tctl acl users add​

Adds a user to an access list.

tctl acl users add <access-list-name> <user> [<expires>] [<reason>]

tctl acl users ls​

Lists the users in an access list.

tctl acl users ls <access-list-name>

tctl acl users rm​

Removes a user from an access list.

tctl acl users rm <access-list-name> <user>

tctl alerts ack​

Temporarily acknowledges a cluster alert, preventing the alert from being displayed to users. Acknowledgements last for 24 hours by default. Users will begin seeing the alert again when the acknowledgement expires.

tctl alerts ack [<flags>] <id>

Arguments​

  • <id>: the ID of the cluster alert to acknowledge

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--ttl24hAny durationTime duration to acknowledge the alert for
--clearnoneClear an existing alert acknowledgement
--reasonnoneThe reason for suppressing this alert

Examples​

Suppress the cluster alert notifying users that an upgrade is available:

tctl alerts ack --reason="upgrade scheduled" upgrade-suggestion
Successfully acknowledged alert 'upgrade-suggestion'. Alerts with this ID won't be pushed for 24h0m0s.

Clear an existing alert acknowledgement:

tctl alerts ack --clear upgrade-suggestion

tctl alerts ack ls​

Lists alert acknowledgements.

tctl alerts ack ls
ID                 Reason                 Expires------------------ ---------------------- --------------------upgrade-suggestion "upgrade is scheduled" Wed Apr 12 16:52 UTC

tctl alerts create​

Creates cluster alerts. Cluster alerts can be displayed to Teleport users in the web UI or upon logging via tsh.

tctl alerts create [<flags>] <message>

Arguments​

  • <message>: The message for the alert to display

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--severitylowlow, medium, highAlert severity
--ttlnoneAny durationOptional expiry for alert (alert does not expire if no TTL is specified)
--labelsnoneanyA list of labels to attach to the alert.

While any labels can be applied to an alert, there are several internal labels that can be used to configure the behavior of alerts:

  • teleport.internal/alert-on-login: yes: ensures that the alert is displayed to users upon login
  • teleport.internal/alert-permit-all: yes: ensures that the alert is displayed to all users

If no labels are specified, tctl will automatically add both of these labels.

Examples​

tctl alerts create \    --severity=low \    --ttl=4h \    "The system is under maintenance, functionality may be limited."

tctl alerts list​

Lists cluster alerts. This command can also be invoked as tctl alerts ls.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--verbose (-v)falsebooleanIf set, display detailed alert info (including acknowledged alerts)
--labelsnoneComma-separated stringsA list of labels to filter by

Examples​

tctl alerts list
ID                                   Severity Expires In Message------------------------------------ -------- ---------- ----------------------------------------------------------------da36b401-5688-426f-95b8-d0dd1ef27785 LOW      57m0s      "The system is under maintenance, functionality may be limited."

tctl auth export​

Exports public cluster CA certificates. This is useful for configuring external systems to trust certificates issued by Teleport.

tctl auth export [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--keysnonenoneif set, only exports private keys
--fingerprintnonestring e.g. SHA256:<fingerprint>filter authority by fingerprint
--compatnoneversion numberexport certificates compatible with specific version of Teleport
--typenoneuser, host, tls-host, tls-user, tls-user-der, windows, db, openssh, saml-idpcertificate type
--outnonefilepathif set writes exported authorities to files with the given path prefix

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run:

tctl help <subcommand>

or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Export all keys
tctl auth export
Filter by fingerprint
tctl auth export --fingerprint=SHA256:8xu5kh1CbHCZRrGuitbQd4hM+d9V+I7YA1mUwA/2tAo
Export tls certs only
tctl auth export --type=tls-host

tctl auth rotate​

Rotate certificate authorities in the cluster:

tctl auth rotate [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--grace-periodnonerelative duration like 5s, 2m, or 3hGrace period keeps previous certificate authorities signatures valid, if set to 0 will force users to log in again and nodes to re-register.
--manualnonenoneActivate manual rotation, set rotation phases manually
--typeuser,hostuser or hostCertificate authority to rotate
--phaseinit, standby, update_clients, update_servers, rollbackTarget rotation phase to set, used in manual rotation

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Rotate only user certificates with a grace period of 200 hours:
tctl auth rotate --type=user --grace-period=200h

Rotate only host certificates with a grace period of 8 hours:
tctl auth rotate --type=host --grace-period=8h

tctl auth sign​

Automation

tctl auth sign is commonly used to generate long-lived certificates for automation purposes. On supported platforms, Machine ID is a more secure alternative that generates short-lived certificates for automation workflows.

Create an identity file(s) for a given user:

tctl auth sign -o <filepath> [--user <user> | --host <host>][--format] [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--usernoneexisting userTeleport user name
--hostnoneauth hostTeleport host name
-o, --outnonefilepathidentity output
--overwritenonenoneWhen specified, write new identity files, even if they already exist
--formatfilefile, openssh, tls or kubernetesidentity format
--identitynonefileIdentity file to use for logging in to the Auth Service
--auth-servernoneauth host & portRemote Teleport host name
--ttl12hrelative duration like 5s, 2m, or 3hTTL (time to live) for the generated certificate
--compat""standard or oldsshOpenSSH compatibility flag
--proxy""Address of the Teleport Proxy ServiceWhen --format is set to kubernetes, this address will be set as the cluster address in the generated kubeconfig file
--leaf-cluster""The name of a leaf cluster.
--kube-cluster-name""Kubernetes Cluster Name
--app-name""application nameGenerate a certificate for accessing the specified web application
--db-service""Database Service nameGenerate a certificate for accessing the specified Database Service instance
--db-user""database userWhen --db-service is specified, encode this database user in the certificate
--db-name""database nameWhen --db-service is specified, encode this database name in the certificate

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Export identity file to teleport_id.pem
for user `teleport` with a ttl set to 5m
tctl auth sign --format file --ttl=5m --user teleport -o teleport_id.pem
Export identity formatted for openssh to teleport_id.pem
tctl auth sign --format openssh --user teleport -o teleport_id.pem
Export host identity, `--format openssh` must be set with `--host`
Generates grav-01 (private key) and grav-01-cert.pub in the current directory
tctl auth sign --format openssh --host grav-00
Invalid command, only one of --user or --host should be set
tctl auth sign --format openssh --host grav-00 --user teleport -o grav_host
error: --user or --host must be specified
create a certificate with a TTL of 24 hours for the jenkins user
the jenkins.pem file can later be used with `tsh`
tctl auth sign --ttl=24h --user=jenkins --out=jenkins.pem
create a certificate with a TTL of 3 months for the jenkins user
the jenkins.pem file can later be used with `tsh`
tctl auth sign --ttl=2190h --user=jenkins --out=jenkins.pem
create a certificate with a TTL of 1 day for the jenkins user
The kubeconfig file can later be used with `kubectl` or compatible tooling.
tctl auth sign --ttl=24h --user=jenkins --out=kubeconfig --format=kubernetes
Exports an identity from the Auth Server in preparation for remote
tctl execution.
tctl auth sign --user=admin --out=identity.pem

tctl bots add​

Create a new Machine ID Bot:

tctl bots add <name> [<flags>]

Arguments​

  • <name> - name of Machine ID Bot to create.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--rolesnoneComma-separated list of roles to assign to the Bot.Required. Specifies the roles that the Bot should be able to impersonate and include in generated credentials.
--loginsnoneComma-separated list of allowed SSH logins to set Bot's login trait to.Optional. Specifies the values that should be configured as the Bot's logins trait for the purpose of role templating.
--tokennoneString name of an existing join token.Optional. Specifies an existing join token to be used rather than creating one as part of the Bot creation.
--ttl15mDuration.Optional. Overrides the TTL of the token that will be created if --token is not specified.
--formattexttext, jsonIf set to json, return new bot information as a machine-readable JSON string.

Examples​

Create a new bot named example that may assume the access role and log in as root:

tctl bots add example --roles=access --logins=root

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

tctl bots ls​

Lists all Machine ID Bots:

tctl bots ls [<flags>]

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

tctl bots rm​

Delete a Machine ID Bot:

tctl bots rm <name> [<flags>]

Arguments​

  • <name> - name of Machine ID Bot to delete.

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

tctl bots update​

Update a Machine ID bot:

tctl bots update <bot> [<flags>]

Arguments​

  • <name> - The name of the bot to update

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--add-rolesnoneComma-separated list of roles the bot may assumeAppends the given roles to the existing roles the bot may assume.
--set-rolesnoneComma-separated list of roles the bot may assumeReplaces the bots's current roles with the list provided.
--add-loginsnoneComma-separated list of allowed Unix loginsAppends the given logins to the bot's current allowed logins.
--set-loginsnoneComma-separated list of allowed Unix loginsReplaces the bot's current allowed logins with the given list.

Examples​

Replace the bot example roles and add a new allowed Unix login:

tctl bots update example --add-logins=root --set-roles=access

Remove all implicitly allowed Unix logins from a bot named example by passing an empty list:

tctl bots update example --set-logins=,

Note that the bot may still be granted additional logins via roles.

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

tctl create​

Create or update a Teleport resource from a YAML file.

The supported resource types are: user, node, cluster, role, connector, and device. See the Resources Reference for complete docs on how to build these yaml files.

tctl create [<flags>] <filename>

Arguments​

  • <filename> resource definition file

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
-f, --forcenonenoneOverwrite the resource if already exists

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Update a user record
tctl create -f joe.yaml
Add a trusted cluster
tctl create cluster.yaml
Update a trusted cluster
tctl create -f cluster.yaml

tctl devices add​

Register a device.

tctl devices add --os=OS --asset-tag=SERIAL_NUMBER

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--osnonelinux, macos, windowsDevice operating system
--asset-tagnonestringDevice inventory identifier (e.g., Mac serial number)
--enrollfalsebooleanIf set, creates a device enrollment token

Examples​

tctl devices add --os=macos --asset-tag=C00AA0AAAA0A
Device C00AA0AAAA0A/macOS added to the inventory
tctl devices add --os=macos --asset-tag=C00AA0AAAA0A --enroll
Device C00AA0AAAA0A/macOS added to the inventoryRun the command below on device "C00AA0AAAA0A" to enroll it:tsh device enroll --token=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-this-is-an-example

tctl devices enroll​

Create an enrollment token for a device.

tctl devices enroll [--device-id=ID] [--asset-tag=ASSET_TAG]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--device-idnonestringTeleport device identifier
--asset-tagnonestringDevice inventory identifier (e.g., Mac serial number)

One of --device-id or --asset-tag must be present.

Examples​

tctl devices enroll --device-id=d40f2ee4-856d-4aef-b784-c4371e39c036
Run the command below on device "d40f2ee4-856d-4aef-b784-c4371e39c036" to enroll it:tsh device enroll --token=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-this-is-an-example
tctl devices enroll --asset-tag=C00AA0AAAA0A
Run the command below on device "C00AA0AAAA0A" to enroll it:tsh device enroll --token=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-this-is-an-example

tctl devices ls​

List registered devices.

tctl devices ls

Examples​

tctl devices ls

Asset Tag    OS    Enroll Status Device ID------------ ----- ------------- ------------------------------------C00AA0AAAA0A macOS enrolled      d40f2ee4-856d-4aef-b784-c4371e39c036

tctl devices rm​

Removes a registered device.

A removed device is not considered a trusted device for future device authentication attempts.

tctl devices rm [--device-id=ID] [--asset-tag=ASSET_TAG]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--device-idnonestringTeleport device identifier
--asset-tagnonestringDevice inventory identifier (e.g., Mac serial number)

One of --device-id or --asset-tag must be present.

Examples​

tctl devices rm --device-id=d40f2ee4-856d-4aef-b784-c4371e39c036
Device "ac3590ec-87d4-4519-8e9e-2f35af0a9f85" removed
tctl devices rm --asset-tag=C00AA0AAAA0A
Device "C00AA0AAAA0A" removed

tctl edit​

Modify a Teleport resource using your preferred text editor.

tctl edit <resource-type/resource-name>

The text editor is selected by checking the following, in order of precedence:

  • the TELEPORT_EDITOR environment variable
  • the VISUAL environment variable
  • the EDITOR environment variable
  • defaulting to vi

tctl will fetch the resource from the backend and open it in the selected editor. When the editor process terminates, tctl will push the updates to the Teleport cluster. To abandon the edit, close the editor without saving the file.

Some graphical editors like VS Code launch a background process rather than running in the foreground. This prevents tctl from properly detecting when the editor process terminates. To work around this, check whether your editor supports a "wait" option that waits for files to be closed before terminating. For example, to edit a Teleport resource with VS Code, you can set TELEPORT_EDITOR="code --wait".

Note: Renaming resources with tctl edit is not supported since Teleport resources often refer to other resources by name. To rename a resource, we recommend you:

  • fetch the resource with tctl get and redirect the output to a file
  • change the name of the resource in the file
  • save the new resource with tctl create -f
  • update any references to the old resource

Arguments​

  • <resource-type/resource-name> The resource to edit
    • <resource type> The type of the resource [for example: user,cluster,token]
    • <resource name> The name of the resource

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

edit the sre role
tctl edit role/sre

edit the alice user with the nano editor
TELEPORT_EDITOR=nano tctl edit user/alice

tctl get​

Print a YAML declaration of various Teleport resources:

tctl get [<flags>] <resource-type/resource-name>,...

Arguments​

  • <resource-type/resource-name> The resource to get
    • <resource type> The type of the resource [for example: user,cluster,token,device]
    • <resource name> The name of the resource

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--formatyaml, json or textOutput format
--with-secretsnonenoneInclude secrets in resources like certificate authorities or OIDC connectors

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

tctl get users
Dump the user definition into a file:
tctl get user/joe > joe.yaml
Prints the trusted cluster 'east'
tctl get cluster/east
Prints all trusted clusters and all users
tctl get clusters,users
Dump all resources for backup into state.yaml
tctl get all > state.yaml

tctl help​

Shows help:

tctl help

tctl inventory list​

List Teleport instance inventory:

tctl inventory list [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--formattextyaml, json or textOutput format
--older-thannonestringFilter for older teleport versions
--exact-versionnonestringFilter output by teleport version
--servicesnonestringFilter output by service (node,kube,proxy,etc)
--upgradernonenone, kube, or unitFilter output by upgrader (kube,unit,none)

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

List inventory

tctl inventory ls
Server ID                            Hostname                        Services                   Agent Version Upgrader Upgrader Version------------------------------------ ------------------------------- -------------------------- ------------- -------- ----------------00c3a1f7-5f24-47f9-b866-14401fbb5685 teleport-proxy-77df88c69        Proxy                      16.5.9       none     none065ab336-1ac2-4314-8b16-32fc06a172a7 server1                         Node                       16.5.9       unit     16.5.9a24d4ad4-ead8-4b15-9ea6-357a5350369e teleport-auth-fb68b5df7         Auth,Discovery             16.5.9       none     none

List inventory for a specific service and version

tctl inventory ls --services=node --exact-version=16.5.9
Server ID                            Hostname                        Services                   Agent Version Upgrader Upgrader Version------------------------------------ ------------------------------- -------------------------- ------------- -------- ----------------065ab336-1ac2-4314-8b16-32fc06a172a7 server1                         Node                       16.5.9       unit     16.5.9a24d4ad4-ead8-4b15-9ea6-357a5350369e server2                         Node,App                   16.5.9       unit     16.5.9

Note that newly added Teleport services do not show in the inventory right as the service joins. Those can take around 5 minutes under regular circumstances to show in inventory counts and up to 15 minutes for heavy load.

tctl inventory status​

Show inventory status summary:

tctl inventory status [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--formattextyaml, json or textOutput format
--[no-]connected--no-connectednoneShow locally connected instances summary

Global flags​

These are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

List inventory status

tctl inventory status
Versions:  v16.5.9: 16Upgraders:  kube: 6  unit: 6  none: 4Services:  Discovery:      2  Auth:           2  Db:             2  Kube:           2  App:            2  Node:           2  Proxy:          2  WindowsDesktop: 2Total Instances: 16

List inventory status for locally connected instances summary. This allows seeing connected instances on a specific Auth service.

tctl inventory status --connected
Server ID                            Services               Version Upgrader------------------------------------ ---------------------- ------- --------b48e6e81-63e0-498f-834b-1a8adea09d95 Auth                   16.5.9  none178d9301-2873-4020-895a-014edf067204 Node                   16.5.9  unit

Note that newly added Teleport services do not show in the inventory right as the service joins. Those can take around 5 minutes under regular circumstances to show in inventory counts and up to 15 minutes for heavy load.

tctl login_rule test​

Test a Login Rule resource without installing it in the cluster.

Arguments​

  • <traits-file> input traits file in JSON or YAML format. Empty for stdin.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--resource-filenonestring filepathPath to Login Rule resource path, can be repeated for multiple files
--load-from-clusterfalsetrue, falseWhen true, all Login Rules currently installed in the cluster will be loaded for the test. Can be combined with --resource-file to test interactions.
--formatyamlyaml, jsonOutput format for traits

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Test evaluation of the Login Rules from rule1.yaml and rule2.yaml with input traits from traits.json

tctl login_rule test --resource-file rule1.yaml --resource-file rule2.yaml traits.json

Test the Login Rule in rule.yaml along with all Login Rules already present in the cluster

tctl login_rule test --resource-file rule.yaml --load-from-cluster traits.json

Read the input traits from stdin

echo '{"groups": ["example"]}' | tctl login_rule test --resource-file rule.yaml

tctl nodes add​

Generate a node invitation token:

tctl nodes add [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--rolesnodeproxy, auth, node, db, app or windowsdesktopComma-separated list of roles for the new node to assume
--ttl30mrelative duration like 5s, 2m, or 3hTime to live for a generated token
--tokennonestring token valueA custom token to use, auto-generated if not provided. Should match token set with teleport start --token

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Generates a token that can be used by a node to join the cluster, default ttl is 30 minutes
tctl nodes add
Generates a token that can be used to add an SSH node to the cluster.
The node will run both the proxy service and the node (ssh) service.
This token can be used within an hour.
tctl nodes add --roles=node,proxy --ttl=1h

tctl nodes ls​

List all active SSH nodes within the cluster:

tctl nodes ls [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--namespacenonestring namespaceNamespace of the nodes

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

tctl request approve​

Approve a user's request:

tctl request approve [token]

Arguments​

  • <tokens> - comma-separated list of Teleport tokens.

Examples​

tctl request approve request-id-1, request-id-2

tctl request create​

Create a pending Access Request.

tctl request create <username>

Arguments​

  • <username> - Name of target user (required).

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
rolesnoneComma-separated list of stringsRoles to be requested
resourcenoneComma-separated list of stringsResource IDs to be requested
reasonnoneStringOptional reason message
dry-runnoneBooleanDon't actually generate the Access Request

Use the dry-run flag if you want to validate whether Teleport can create an Access Request for the user in the username argument, given the user's static roles.

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Create an Access Request for user myuser for the prod role, providing a reason:

tctl request create myuser --roles=prod --reason="Fix an outage"

tctl request deny​

Denies a user's request:

tctl request deny [token]

Arguments​

  • <tokens> - comma-separated list of Teleport tokens.

Examples​

tctl request deny request-id-1, request-id-2

tctl request ls​

List of open requests:

tctl request ls

Examples​

tctl request ls

Token                                Requestor Metadata       Created At (UTC)    Status
------------------------------------ --------- -------------- ------------------- -------
request-id-1                         alice     roles=dictator 07 Nov 19 19:38 UTC PENDING

tctl request rm​

Delete a users role request:

tctl request rm [token]

Arguments​

  • <tokens> - comma-separated list of Teleport tokens.

Examples​

tctl request rm request-id-1

tctl rm​

Delete a resource:

tctl rm <resource-type/resource-name>

Arguments​

  • <resource-type/resource-name> Resource to delete
    • <resource type> Type of a resource [for example: saml,oidc,github,user,cluster,tokens,device]
    • <resource name> Resource name to delete

Examples​

Delete a SAML connector called "okta":
tctl rm saml/okta

Delete a local user called "admin":
tctl rm users/admin

tctl sso configure github​

Configure the GitHub auth connector.

Required params --id and --secret come from registering a GitHub OAuth app, which you can read about in the GitHub documentation.

The flag --teams-to-roles can be provided multiple times to specify which GitHub Teams are assigned which roles. In this example, members of the devs team in the GitHub org octocats will be assigned the access, and editor roles in Teleport.

tctl sso configure github --id=GITHUB_CLIENT_ID --secret=GITHUB_SECRET --teams-to-roles=octocats,devs,access,editor [<other-flags>]

Arguments​

This command accepts no arguments.

Flags​

Mandatory flags: --id, --secret, --teams-to-roles.

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
-n, --namegithubresource nameConnector name.
-r, --teams-to-rolesnoneorg,team,role1,role2,...Sets teams-to-roles mapping. Repeatable.
--displaynonedisplay nameControls how this connector is displayed.
--idnoneGitHub OAuth2 client idGitHub app client ID.
--secretnoneGitHub OAuth2 secretGitHub app client secret.
--redirect-urlnoneValid callback URL.Authorization callback URL.
--ignore-missing-rolesIgnore missing roles referenced in --teams-to-roles.

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Generate a GitHub auth connector. Two role mappings are defined:

  • members of the admin team in the octocats org will receive access, editor and auditor roles.
  • members of the dev team in octocats org will receive the access role.
note

tctl sso configure gh is an alias for tctl sso configure github.

tctl sso configure gh -r octocats,admin,access,editor,auditor -r octocats,dev,access --secret GH_SECRET --id CLIENT_ID
INFO [CLIENT]    RedirectURL empty, resolving automatically.INFO [CLIENT]    RedirectURL set to "https://teleport.example.com:3080/v1/webapi/github/callback"kind: githubmetadata:  name: githubspec:  client_id: CLIENT_ID  client_secret: GH_SECRET  display: ""  redirect_url: https://teleport.example.com:3080/v1/webapi/github/callback  teams_to_logins:  - logins:    - access    - editor    - auditor    organization: octocats    team: admin  - logins:    - access    organization: octocats    team: devversion: v3

Generate the configuration and immediately test it using tctl sso test command.

tctl sso configure gh ... | tctl sso test

tctl sso configure oidc​

Configure an OIDC auth connector, optionally using a preset.

The flag --claims-to-roles can be provided multiple times.

tctl sso configure oidc --id=CLIENT_ID --secret=SECRET --claims-to-roles=... [<other-flags>]

Arguments​

This command accepts no arguments.

Flags​

Mandatory flags: --id, --secret, --claims-to-roles. Other flags may be required depending on chosen preset.

General flags:

NameDescription
-p, --presetPreset. One of: google, gitlab, okta.
-n, --nameConnector name. Required, unless implied from preset.
-r, --claims-to-rolesSets claim-to-roles mapping using format claim_name,claim_value,role1,role2,.... Repeatable.
--displayDisplay controls how this connector is displayed.
--idOIDC app client ID.
--secretOIDC app client secret.
--issuer-urlIssuer URL.
--redirect-urlAuthorization callback URL.
--promptOptional OIDC prompt. Example values: none, select_account, login, consent.
--scopeScope specifies additional scopes set by provider. Each repetition of the flag declares one scope. Examples: email, groups, openid.
--acrAuthentication Context Class Reference values.
--providerSets the external identity provider type to enable IdP specific workarounds. Examples: ping, adfs, netiq, `okta``.
--ignore-missing-rolesIgnore missing roles referenced in --claims-to-roles.

Supported presets:

NameDescriptionDisplayIssuer URL
googleGoogle WorkspaceGooglehttps://accounts.google.com
gitlabGitLabGitLabhttps://gitlab.com
oktaOktaOktahttps://oktaice.okta.com

The above values for --issuer-url are defaults which may need to be updated depending on your IdP configuration.

The following flags are specific to Google Workspace:

NameDescription
--google-acc-uriURI of your service account credentials file. Example: file:///var/lib/teleport/gworkspace-creds.json.
--google-accString containing Google service account credentials.
--google-adminEmail of a Google admin to impersonate.
--google-legacyFlag to select groups with direct membership filtered by domain (legacy behavior).
Disabled by default. More info
--google-idShorthand for setting the --id flag to <GOOGLE_WORKSPACE_CLIENT_ID>.apps.googleusercontent.com

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

  1. Generate an OIDC auth connector configuration called myauth. Two mappings from OIDC claims to roles are defined:
    • members of admin group will receive access, editor and auditor roles.
    • members of developer group will receive access role.

The values for --secret, --id and --issuer-url are provided by the IdP.

tctl sso configure oidc -n myauth -r groups,admin,access,editor,auditor -r group,developer,access \      --secret IDP_SECRET --id CLIENT_ID                                                            \      --issuer-url https://idp.example.com
  1. Generate an OIDC auth connector with the Okta preset, enabling the groups scope and mapping the okta-admin group to roles access, editor, auditor. Issuer URL is set to match a custom Okta domain.
tctl sso configure oidc --preset okta --scope groups -r groups,okta-admin,access,editor,auditor \      --secret IDP_SECRET --id CLIENT_ID                                                          \      --issuer-url dev-123456.oktapreview.com
  1. Generate an OIDC auth connector with the Google preset. Service account credentials are set to be loaded from /var/lib/teleport/gacc.json with --google-acc-uri.
tctl sso configure oidc --preset google -r groups,mygroup@mydomain.example.com,access \      --secret SECRET --google-id GOOGLE_ID --google-acc-uri /var/lib/teleport/gacc.json \      --google-admin admin@mydomain.example.com
  1. Generate the configuration and immediately test it using the tctl sso test command.
tctl sso configure oidc ... | tctl sso test

tctl sso configure saml​

Configure the SAML auth connector, optionally using a preset.

The flag --attributes-to-roles/-r can be provided multiple times.

To avoid errors when pasting XML to a YAML file, we encourage the usage of the flag --entity-descriptor/-e.

tctl sso configure saml -e entity_desc.xml -r attr,value,role1 [<other-flags>]

Arguments​

This command accepts no arguments.

Flags​

Mandatory flags: --name, --attributes-to-roles, --entity-descriptor. These flags may become non-mandatory when other flags are present; see table below for details.

NameRequired?Description
-p/--presetPreset. One of: okta, onelogin, ad, adfs.
-n/--nameYes, unless --preset is given.Connector name.
-e/--entity-descriptorYes, unless --sso, --acs, --cert and --issuer are also given.Set the Entity Descriptor. Valid values: file path, URL, XML content. Supplies configuration parameters as a single XML document instead of individual elements.
-r/--attributes-to-rolesYes, at least one occurrence must be present.Sets attribute-to-role mapping using format attr_name,attr_value,role1,role2,.... Repeatable.
--displaySets the connector display name.
--issuerSets identity provider issuer.
--ssoURL of the identity provider's SSO service.
--certPath to your IdP's certificate PEM file. Your IdP signs responses using this certificate.
--acsURL for the assertion consumer service on the service provider (Teleport's side).
--audienceUniquely identifies our service provider.
--service-provider-issuerIssuer of the service provider (Teleport).
--signing-key-fileA file with request signing key. Must be used together with --signing-cert-file.
--signing-cert-fileA file with request certificate. Must be used together with --signing-key-file.
--assertion-key-fileA file with key used for securing SAML assertions. Must be used together with --assertion-cert-file.
--assertion-cert-fileA file with cert used for securing SAML assertions. Must be used together with --assertion-key-file.
--providerSets the external identity provider type, enabling workarounds. Examples: ping, adfs.
--ignore-missing-rolesIgnore missing roles referenced in --attributes-to-roles.

Supported presets:

NameDescriptionDisplay
oktaOktaOkta
oneloginOneLoginOneLogin
adAzure Active DirectoryMicrosoft
adfsActive Directory Federation ServicesADFS

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

  1. Generate a SAML auth connector configuration called myauth. Two mappings from SAML attributes to roles are defined:
    • members of admin group will receive access, editor and auditor roles.
    • members of developer group will receive access role. The IdP metadata will be read from entity-desc.xml file.
tctl sso configure saml -n myauth -r group,admin,access,editor,auditor -r group,developer,access -e entity-desc.xml
  1. Generate a SAML auth connector configuration using the okta preset. The choice of preset affects the default name and display attribute, and may apply IdP-specific tweaks. Instead of an XML file, a URL was provided to the -e flag, which will be fetched by Teleport during runtime.
tctl sso configure saml -p okta -r group,dev,access -e https://dev-123456.oktapreview.com/app/ex30h8/sso/saml/metadata
  1. Generate a configuration and immediately test it using the tctl sso test command:
tctl sso configure saml -p okta -r group,developer,access -e entity-desc.xml | tctl sso test

tctl sso test​

Perform an end-to-end test of an SSO authentication flow using the provided auth connector definition.

The command supports all auth connector types: github, oidc and saml. The latter two require Teleport Enterprise.

tctl [<global-flags>] sso test [<auth-connector.yaml>]

The testing consists of running a single end-to-end authentication request using the provided auth connector definition. Once the request is finished, the results will be printed to standard output along with context-specific diagnostic information. The test process is safe from side effects in that:

  • it will not change the list of configured auth connectors
  • the audit log will clearly state the login attempts as "test" ones
  • there will be no certificates issued for the authenticated user
Important

To use this command, you must have access to the github_request, oidc_request, and saml_request resources (depending on the type of connector being tested).

If you receive a "permission denied" error, ensure that you have access to the following resources in one of your Teleport roles:

- resources: [github_request]
  verbs: [list,create,read,update,delete]
- resources: [oidc_request]
  verbs: [list,create,read,update,delete]
- resources: [saml_request]
  verbs: [list,create,read,update,delete]

Arguments​

  • [<filename>] Connector resource definition file. Optional. Empty for stdin.

Flags​

This command defines no flags.

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands: --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Test the auth connector from connector.yaml:

tctl sso test connector.yaml

The command is designed to be used in conjunction with the tctl sso configure family of commands:

tctl sso configure ... | tctl sso test

The pipeline may also utilize tee to capture the connector generated with tctl sso configure. This will save the connector in connector.yaml:

tctl sso configure ... | tee connector.yaml | tctl sso test

You can test an existing auth connector by combining the command with tctl get:

$ tctl get saml/your-connector-name --with-secrets | tctl sso test
Important

Make sure to include --with-secrets flag, or the exported auth connector will not be testable.

tctl status​

Report cluster status:

tctl status

Examples​

Checks status of cluster.
tctl status Cluster  grav-00 User CA  never updated Host CA  never updated CA
pin   sha256:1146cdd2b887772dcc2e879232c8f60012a839f7958724ce5744005474b15b9d
Checks remote auth status using exported identity.
tctl status \    --auth-server=192.168.99.102:3025 \    --identity=identity.pem

tctl tokens add​

Create an invitation token:

tctl tokens add --type=TYPE [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--formatnonetext, json, yamlOutput format
--labelsnonetextSets token labels
--ttl1hDuration like 5s, 2m, or 3hSets how long the token is valid for.
--typenoneproxy, auth, trusted_cluster, node, db, kube, app, windowsdesktopType of token to add
--valuenonestring token valueValue of token to add

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Generate an invite token for a trusted_cluster
tctl tokens add --type=trusted_cluster --ttl=5m
Generate an invite token for a trusted_cluster with labels
tctl tokens add --type=trusted_cluster --labels=env=prod,region=us-west
Generate an invite token for a node
This is equivalent to `tctl nodes add`
tctl tokens add --type=node
Generate a join token for both a Node and the Database Service
tctl tokens add --type=node,db
Generate an invite token for a kubernetes_service
tctl tokens add --type=kube
Generate an invite token for an app_service
tctl tokens add --type=app

tctl tokens ls​

List node and user invitation tokens:

tctl tokens ls [<flags>]

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--formatnonetext, json, yamlOutput format

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config . Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Example​

tctl tokens ls

Token                            Type            Expiry Time (UTC)
-------------------------------- --------------- -------------------
abcd123-insecure-do-not-use-this Node            11 Oct 19 22:17 UTC
efgh456-insecure-do-not-use-this trusted_cluster 11 Oct 19 22:19 UTC
ijkl789-insecure-do-not-use-this User signup     11 Oct 19 22:20 UTC

tctl tokens rm​

Delete/revoke an invitation token:

tctl tokens rm [<token>]

Arguments​

  • <token> The full-length token string to delete

tctl top​

Reports diagnostic information.

The diagnostic metrics endpoint must be enabled with teleport start --diag-addr=<bind-addr> for tctl top to work.

tctl top [<diag-addr>] [<refresh>]

Argument​

  • [<diag-addr>] Diagnostic HTTP URL (HTTPS not supported)
  • [<refresh>] Refresh period e.g. 5s, 2m, or 3h

Example​

sudo teleport start --diag-addr=127.0.0.1:3000
View stats with a refresh period of 5 seconds
tctl top http://127.0.0.1:3000 5s

tctl users add​

Generates a user invitation token:

tctl users add [<flags>] <account>

Arguments​

  • <account> - The Teleport user account name.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--rolesnoneComma-separated stringsList of Teleport roles to assign to the new user
--loginsnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed SSH logins for the new user
--kubernetes-groupsnoneComma-separated stringsKubernetes groups to assign to a user, e.g. system:masters
--kubernetes-usersnoneComma-separated stringsKubernetes user to assign to a user, e.g. jenkins
--db-usersnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed database users for the new user
--db-namesnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed database names for the new user
--windows-loginsnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed Windows logins for the new user
--aws-role-arnsnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed AWS role ARNs for the new user
--gcp-service-accountsnoneComma-separated stringsList of allowed GCP service accounts for the new user
--azure-identitiesnoneComma-separated stringsList of Azure managed identities to allow the user to assume. Must be the full URIs of the identities
--ttl1hrelative duration like 5s, 2m, or 3h, maximum 48hSet expiration time for token
--host-user-uidnoneUnix UIDUID for auto provisioned host users to use
--host-user-gidnoneUnix GIDGID for auto provisioned host users to use

Global flags​

These flags are available for all commands --debug, --config. Run tctl help <subcommand> or see the Global Flags section.

Examples​

Adds Teleport user "joe" with the "access" and "requester" roles and
permissions to assume the "joe" and "ubuntu" logins
tctl users add joe --roles=access,requester --logins=joe,ubuntu

tctl users ls​

Lists all user accounts:

tctl users ls [<flags>]

tctl users reset​

Reset local user account password and any associated second factor with expiring link to populate values. Usage: tctl users reset <account>

Arguments​

  • <account> - Teleport Local DB User

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--ttl8hrelative duration like 5s, 2m, or 3hSet the expiration time for token, default is 8h0m0s, maximum is 24h0m0s

Examples​

tctl users reset jeff
User jeff has been reset. Share this URL with the user to complete password reset, the link is valid for 8h0m0s:
https://teleport.example.com:3080/web/reset/8a4a40bec3a31a28db44fa64c0c70ca3
Resets jeff's password and any associated second factor.  Jeff populates the password and confirms the token with the link.

tctl users rm​

Deletes user accounts:

tctl users rm <logins>

Arguments​

  • <logins> - comma-separated list of Teleport users

Examples​

tctl users rm sally,tim
Removes users sally and tim

tctl users update​

Update user account:

tctl users update [<flags>] <account>

Arguments​

  • <account> - The Teleport user account name.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--set-rolesnoneComma-separated list of roles for the user to assume.Assigns the user's roles to the ones provided, replacing the user's current roles.
--set-azure-identitiesnoneComma-separated list of allowed Azure identity URIs.Assigns the user's allowed Azure identities to the ones provided, replacing the user's currently allowed Azure identities.

Examples​

Set the user joe's roles to access and editor:

tctl users update joe --set-roles=access,editor

Set the user priya's Azure identities to developer and dba:

tctl users update priya --set-azure-identities \ `/subscriptions/${SUBSCRIPTION_ID?}/resourceGroups/${MY_RESOURCE_GROUP?}/providers/Microsoft.ManagedIdentity/userAssignedIdentities/developer,\ `/subscriptions/${SUBSCRIPTION_ID?}/resourceGroups/${MY_RESOURCE_GROUP?}/providers/Microsoft.ManagedIdentity/userAssignedIdentities/dba

tctl autoupdate client-tools status​

tctl autoupdate client-tools status [<flags>]

Requests the current status of client tool managed updates, indicating whether managed updates are enabled and displaying the target version for the update. If the --proxy flag is defined, tctl sends a request to an unauthenticated endpoint to retrieve the data.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--proxynonenoneAddress of the Teleport Proxy Service. When defined this address will be used to retrieve client tool auto update configuration.
--formatyamljson, yamlOutput format: 'yaml' or 'json'.

Examples​

tctl autoupdate client-tools status
mode: enabledtarget_version: 17.2.7
tctl autoupdate client-tools status --format json
{    "mode": "enabled",    "target_version": "17.2.7"}
Request to an unauthenticated endpoint.
tctl autoupdate client-tools status --proxy proxy.example.com
mode: enabledtarget_version: 17.2.7

tctl autoupdate client-tools enable​

Enables managed updates for client tools in the cluster. If the target version is not set, the proxy version will be advertised.

Examples​

tctl autoupdate client-tools enable
client tools auto update mode has been changed

tctl autoupdate client-tools disable​

Disables managed updates for client tools in the cluster.

Examples​

tctl autoupdate client-tools disable
client tools auto update mode has been changed

tctl autoupdate client-tools target​

tctl autoupdate client-tools target [<flags>] <target-version>

Sets the target version for client tools in the cluster. After login, client tools will be advertised to this version and initiate the update process.

Arguments​

  • <target-version> - Client tools target version. Clients will be told to update to this version.

Flags​

NameDefault Value(s)Allowed Value(s)Description
--clearnonenoneRemoves the target version, Teleport will default to its current proxy version.

Examples​

tctl autoupdate client-tools target 17.2.7
client tools auto update target version has been set
tctl autoupdate client-tools target --clear
client tools auto update target version has been cleared

tctl version​

Print the version of your tctl binary:

tctl version