--- title: "How to sign in to Muse Code and fix login problems" url: https://helicon.sh/guides/muse-code-login description: "Sign in to the muse CLI once, confirm the login from Helicon, fix the common login failures, and see how Helicon uses that login." updated: 2026-10-20 site: Helicon --- # Sign in to Muse Code for Helicon Run `muse login` in the shell where Muse Code is installed. Helicon has no account and stores no credentials, so it uses the login the CLI already holds. If Helicon still reports that Muse Code is missing, the CLI is signed out in the shell or install Helicon is using. ## Sign in once ```sh muse login ``` Run it in the shell where you installed Muse Code. On Windows that is PowerShell for a native install, or the WSL2 shell for a WSL2 install. Helicon uses your existing Muse Code subscription through this login. It needs no API key and adds no second bill. ## What happens at sign-in - On first run, `muse` asks you to authenticate. It offers browser sign-in or an API key. - Browser sign-in opens your web browser to approve the session, then returns you to the terminal. - Inside a running `muse` session, type `/login` to reopen the sign-in options. ## Sign in from inside Helicon - When nobody is signed in, the home screen shows a Sign in to Muse card with the `muse login` command and a Check again button. The sidebar status also says Sign in to Muse. - Settings > Accounts lets you add named Muse profiles and sign in to each one without leaving the app. Helicon runs `muse login` under that profile and shows you the sign-in link and code to enter on Meta's page. - When Muse runs inside WSL, Accounts gives you the one command to run in a terminal instead. - If `META_API_KEY` is set, Helicon counts you as signed in and does not ask again. ## Check that Helicon sees the login Open the setup screen in Helicon and click Check again. It re runs detection without a restart. If it still fails, follow the steps in [Fix: Helicon cannot find the muse CLI](/guides/muse-cli-not-found). ## Fix a login problem - Native and WSL2 are separate installs on Windows. Each one needs its own `muse login`. - Remote daemon or SSH project: sign in on the machine that runs the daemon. Your laptop's login does not apply there. - Signed in with the wrong login: run `muse logout`, then `muse login`. Logout clears the stored browser session and any stored key. - Logout does not unset an exported `META_API_KEY`. Remove that variable from your shell profile or secret store too. ## Sign in to Muse Code for Helicon 1. **Open the shell where Muse Code is installed** On Windows, use PowerShell for a native install or the WSL2 shell for a WSL2 install. Each install needs its own login. 2. **Sign in** Browser sign-in opens your browser to approve the session, then returns you to the terminal. ```sh muse login ``` 3. **Confirm in Helicon** Open the setup screen and click Check again. Restart only if you changed PATH on Windows. 4. **Sign out and back in if it still fails** Logout clears the stored browser session and any stored key. It does not unset META_API_KEY, so remove that from your shell too. ```sh muse logout muse login ``` 5. **For a remote daemon, sign in on that machine** Helicon uses the login on the machine that runs the daemon, so run muse login there once. ```sh muse login ``` ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Helicon need its own account or API key? No to both. Helicon has no account and stores no credentials. It uses the login from `muse login` and your existing Muse Code subscription, with no second bill. ### Why does Helicon say Muse Code is missing when it is installed? An installed but signed-out CLI fails the same way as a missing one. Run `muse login` in the shell Helicon uses. The full fix is in [Fix: Helicon cannot find the muse CLI](/guides/muse-cli-not-found). ### Which login does a remote project use? The one on the machine running the daemon. Local account profiles do not apply to SSH projects. See [Muse Code over SSH](/guides/muse-code-over-ssh). ## Related - [Fix: muse CLI not found](https://helicon.sh/guides/muse-cli-not-found): Helicon needs a working, logged in muse CLI. Here is how to check which install it is looking at on Windows, macOS, Linux and WSL2, and how to fix each case. - [Muse Code over SSH](https://helicon.sh/guides/muse-code-over-ssh): Point Helicon at a folder on a remote machine and Muse Code runs there over ssh, while you keep threads, approvals and diffs in a desktop app on your laptop. - [WSL2](https://helicon.sh/install/wsl2): If your muse CLI lives in WSL2 Ubuntu, Helicon routes to it from the Windows desktop app and translates paths both ways, so the agent and the UI agree on where files are. - [Muse Code GUI](https://helicon.sh/muse-code-gui): Yes, Muse Code has graphical interfaces. A standalone desktop and web app, VS Code extensions, ACP editor bridges and other open-source wrappers, compared honestly. --- Helicon is a free, MIT licensed, unofficial community client for Meta's Muse Code CLI. Not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta. Source: https://helicon.sh/. Machine readable index: https://helicon.sh/llms.txt