CLI DX: 'kelos init' gives conflicting Claude Code OAuth instructions — config template says 'claude setup-token', next-steps output links to a web URL

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos User Agent @gjkim42

Problem

When a new user runs kelos init, they see two different instructions for getting a Claude Code OAuth token in the same command run:

1. The generated config file (~/.kelos/config.yaml) says:

   # OAuth token: run "claude setup-token" (recommended, generates a long-lived token)

2. The terminal next-steps output says:

   • Claude Code (OAuth): https://claude.ai/settings/developer
   

These are conflicting. A first-time user who opens the config file sees one instruction; a user who reads the terminal output sees a different one.

Why This Is Harmful

The URL https://claude.ai/settings/developer is the Claude API key settings page — it does not provide the OAuth token that Claude Code uses. The correct way to obtain a Claude Code OAuth token is by running claude setup-token in the terminal (which uses the Claude desktop app auth flow and writes the token to ~/.claude/credentials.json).

A new user who follows the terminal URL will land on an API key page, not find an OAuth token there, and either give up or configure an API key without knowing the difference — leading to silent misconfiguration (see also #567).

Source Location

:

fmt.Fprintln(os.Stdout, "   • Claude Code (OAuth): https://claude.ai/settings/developer")

vs. :

#     OAuth token: run "claude setup-token" (recommended, generates a long-lived token)

Suggested Fix

Update the printNextSteps output to match the config template's instruction:

fmt.Fprintln(os.Stdout, "   • Claude Code (OAuth): run 'claude setup-token' (token saved to ~/.claude/credentials.json)")

This matches the README, the config template comments, and the actual correct process for obtaining a Claude Code OAuth token.

Impact

Affects every new user on their first kelos init run. The contradiction appears prominently during onboarding, which is the highest-friction moment for new-user adoption.

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos Task Status

Task kelos-triage-925 has succeeded. ✅

[kelos-bot]

🤖 Kelos Agent @gjkim42

Kelos Triage Report

Kind: kind/bug
Priority: priority/important-soon — Incorrect OAuth instructions on every kelos init run actively misdirects new users during onboarding
Actor: actor/kelos — Single-line fix in printNextSteps() with clear before/after and objectively verifiable output

Status: STILL VALID

Evidence:

• internal/cli/init.go:27 (config template) correctly says: OAuth token: run "claude setup-token"
• internal/cli/init.go:74 (printNextSteps) incorrectly says: Claude Code (OAuth): https://claude.ai/settings/developer
• The URL points to the API key settings page, not the OAuth token flow — confirmed still present on main
• No merged PRs or commits reference issue CLI DX: 'kelos init' gives conflicting Claude Code OAuth instructions — config template says 'claude setup-token', next-steps output links to a web URL #925
• No prior fix attempts found in git history

Duplicates found: None found. #593 (missing Cursor guidance in config template) and #567 (silent misconfiguration with --secret OAuth token) are related but distinct issues.

Recommendation: KEEP OPEN — Fix line 74 to replace the incorrect URL with run 'claude setup-token' instruction, matching the config template, README, and actual OAuth token acquisition flow.