1. Check OS + shell.

2. Verify CLI present: `op --version`.

3. Confirm desktop app integration is enabled (per get-started) and the app is unlocked.

4. REQUIRED: create a fresh tmux session for all `op` commands (no direct `op` calls outside tmux).

5. Sign in / authorize inside tmux: `op signin` (expect app prompt).

6. Verify access inside tmux: `op whoami` (must succeed before any secret read).

7. If multiple accounts: use `--account` or `OP_ACCOUNT`.

3. Detect the auth mode the user has set up:

- **Service account:** `OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN` is set (typical for headless setups, CI, gateways).

- **Desktop app integration:** the 1Password desktop app is running with CLI integration enabled (typical on macOS / Windows / Linux desktops).

- **Standalone signin:** neither of the above — `op signin` will prompt for an account password every session.

4. Run `op` according to the auth mode (see below).

5. Verify access: `op whoami` should succeed before any secret read.

6. If multiple accounts: use `--account` or `OP_ACCOUNT`.

## REQUIRED tmux session (tmux)

## Running `op` per auth mode

The shell tool uses a fresh TTY per command. To avoid re-prompts and failures, always run `op` inside a dedicated tmux session with a fresh socket/session name.

### Service account (preferred for headless / gateway use)

Example (see `tmux` skill for socket conventions, do not reuse old session names):

Direct exec. No tmux, no signin step.

```bash

export OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN="ops_..."

op vault list

op read op://app-prod/db/password

```

### Desktop app integration

Direct exec. **Do not wrap in tmux** — the desktop app integration uses a per-user IPC channel that is established for the gateway's exec environment but is not always reliably reachable from tmux subshells, which run with a different environment context. The transport differs per platform (XPC via the 1Password Browser Helper on macOS, a Unix domain socket on Linux, a named pipe on Windows); the practical rule for an agent is the same on all three: run `op` directly. On macOS, a useful symptom indicator is the 1Password integration group container at `~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.1password/t/`.

```bash

op vault list # may trigger Touch ID / Windows Hello / system auth on first call

op whoami

```

If a call returns `1Password CLI couldn't connect to the 1Password desktop app`, do not switch to tmux. Confirm the desktop app is running and unlocked, then retry direct exec.

### Standalone signin (no app, interactive password)

This is the only mode where tmux helps. `op signin` prints an `eval`-style export setting an `OP_SESSION_*` token for POSIX shells; later commands in the same shell are authenticated by that env var. The gateway's per-command shells lose that state between calls, so a persistent tmux pane keeps the session token alive — but only if the export is actually applied with `eval` in a POSIX shell. Sending `op signin` as a plain command leaves stdout printed to the pane and `op whoami` will fail.

The tmux flow is only actionable on macOS/Linux hosts where the `tmux` skill is available. The example intentionally opens `/bin/sh` so the POSIX `eval "$(op signin ...)"` output is valid even when the user's normal shell is fish. On Windows, prefer desktop app integration or service account auth. If the user only has standalone interactive signin on Windows, stop and ask them to provide a persistent PowerShell session mechanism or switch to desktop integration/service account auth; do not translate the tmux commands directly.

```bash

SOCKET_DIR="${OPENCLAW_TMUX_SOCKET_DIR:-${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/openclaw-tmux-sockets}"

mkdir -p "$SOCKET_DIR"

chmod 700 "$SOCKET_DIR"

SOCKET="$SOCKET_DIR/openclaw-op.sock"

SESSION="op-auth-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

tmux -S "$SOCKET" new -d -s "$SESSION" -n shell

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "op signin --account my.1password.com" Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "op whoami" Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "op vault list" Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -J -t "$SESSION":0.0 -S -200

tmux -S "$SOCKET" kill-session -t "$SESSION"

tmux -S "$SOCKET" new -d -s "$SESSION" -n shell /bin/sh

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- 'eval "$(op signin --account my.1password.com)"' Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -t "$SESSION":0.0 -p -S - | tail -40

```

Do not queue follow-up commands while signin is prompting. Poll the pane with `capture-pane`

until signin has either completed and the shell prompt has returned, or it is clearly waiting for

human input. If the prompt requires a password, MFA, or account choice, pause and ask the user to

complete signin in their own terminal; give them the socket and session values so they can attach

locally. The agent should not run `tmux attach` from exec because attach consumes the current TTY and

prevents scripted `send-keys` / `capture-pane` control.

After the shell prompt returns, verify by sending the checks into the same pane:

```bash

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- 'op whoami' Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- 'op vault list' Enter

tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -t "$SESSION":0.0 -p -S - | tail -80

```

Keep the tmux session running so later `op read` / `op run` commands reuse the same authenticated shell.

Use the same `SOCKET` and `SESSION` values for every follow-up command in this standalone signin flow. The `-S "$SOCKET"` flag selects the tmux server socket; keep it in a user-owned `0700` directory, do not share it between users, and choose a new session name for each new signin attempt.

## Guardrails

- Never paste secrets into logs, chat, or code.

- Prefer `op run` / `op inject` over writing secrets to disk.

- If sign-in without app integration is needed, use `op account add`.

- If a command returns "account is not signed in", re-run `op signin` inside tmux and authorize in the app.

- Do not run `op` outside tmux; stop and ask if tmux is unavailable.

- If sign-in without app integration is needed, use `op account add` first.

- If a command returns "account is not signed in":

- service account: re-export `OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN`

- desktop app: confirm the app is running and integration is enabled

- standalone: re-run `op signin` inside the same tmux session and authorize