> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://e2b.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN deprecation

> E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN is being deprecated. Authenticate the CLI with E2B_API_KEY instead.

`E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN` is being deprecated for security reasons. This was announced on June 22, 2026. Switch to `E2B_API_KEY` before the dates below.

* **July 1, 2026**: you can no longer generate new access tokens in the [dashboard](https://e2b.dev/dashboard/account). Existing tokens keep working until August 1.
* **August 1, 2026**: all access tokens stop working. After this date, any request authenticated with an access token will fail.

For most people this is a small change. The E2B CLI already authenticates with `E2B_API_KEY` alone, so it no longer needs the access token. August 1 is the date when the infrastructure stops accepting the token entirely. In practice the migration is removing a now-redundant environment variable, and upgrading the CLI if you are on an older version.

## Who is affected

This affects anyone who authenticates the E2B CLI by setting the `E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN` environment variable. CI/CD pipelines are the most common case, but the same applies to servers, containers, and local scripts. The E2B SDKs authenticate with API keys, so SDK users are unaffected.

The interactive login commands `e2b auth login` and `e2b auth configure` set up your local workstation. They are outside the scope of this change.

It also affects anyone still on the V1 build system, since V1 builds authenticate with the access token. When tokens stop on August 1, 2026, V1 builds stop working. See the [V1 build system deprecation](/docs/migration/v1-build-deprecation) to migrate to V2, which builds with `E2B_API_KEY`.

## Migrate your CLI authentication

First, get an API key. You can find it in the [dashboard keys tab](https://e2b.dev/dashboard?tab=keys). It is the same key you use with the SDKs.

Next, set a single environment variable wherever you run the CLI and remove the access token. Use CLI version 2.12.1 or later (latest recommended).

```bash Terminal theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
# Set only your API key (no access token, no login step)
export E2B_API_KEY=e2b_...
```

Your API key is scoped to a team, so the CLI targets the right team automatically. There is no separate team variable to set.

With the API key set, run CLI commands directly. You do not need to run `e2b auth login`.

```bash Terminal theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
e2b template create my-template
e2b sandbox list
```

If you currently set both variables, delete the `E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN` line. It is no longer needed.

```bash Terminal theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-default"}}
export E2B_API_KEY=e2b_...
export E2B_ACCESS_TOKEN=...   # Remove this line
```