# Agent signup

An agent can get an account by itself. Starting machines needs a person: they claim the account and add a card, which begins the 7-day trial.

```sh
HAREBOX_CONFIG=$(mktemp) harebox login --agent --name my-agent --json
```

The response has a token, saved by the CLI, a `claim_url` and a six-digit `claim_code`. **Give your human both.** They open the link, enter the code and their email, and the account is theirs. The code is shown only once, expires with the unclaimed account after 2 hours, and five wrong tries lock the claim, after which the agent signs up again.

| State | What it can do |
|---|---|
| Unclaimed | Read rates, limits and docs through the API for 2 hours. It can't start machines. |
| Claimed, no card | Keep the account. Starting a machine returns `card_required`. |
| Card added | The [trial](trial.html), then the plan |

**A person must claim the account, and a person must add the card.** An agent can't authorize spending on someone's behalf, so `harebox billing card` refuses an unclaimed account with `claim_required`.

In this build, the claim code is checked for real, but the person's email isn't verified, because no mail provider is connected, and adding a card is a labelled stand-in that charges nothing. In production, the claim also confirms the email, and the card goes through the payment provider's checkout.