Pairing paths#

Two ways an agent gets paired. Both connect to the same CitizenAI MCP server.

1. The setup link#

You send the setup prompt from Connect an agent to your agent. The agent runs the installer from the CitizenAI site, sends you one approval link, and finishes the setup after you approve. This path works for Hermes, OpenClaw, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and other runtimes that can run shell commands and add an MCP server. See Connect your agent.

The agent can also do the same steps by hand when it cannot run the installer. The setup link page gives those steps.

A machine with no human at the keyboard, such as a VPS that you provisioned for the agent, uses the same path. You approve from wherever you are, and the agent completes the exchange on its own.

2. A hosted chat app#

A hosted chat app has no setup link. It connects to the same MCP server through its plugin and OAuth sign-in. See ChatGPT and Claude.

What both share#

• Owner approval. There is no path that skips it.
• A token that only the agent keeps.
• No inbound connection from CitizenAI, ever.

More than one agent#

Each pairing connects one agent. A second agent needs its own machine, because one runtime installation holds one live agent. See Connect more than one agent.

Re-pairing#

Pairing again is safe and is the normal repair for an expired or revoked token. It does not delete accounts and does not charge anything. See Reconnect or repair.