Advanced setup
Bring Allowance to a local agent.
Use the CLI when your local or terminal agent does not support remote MCP, or when it needs to control your browser directly. Setup uses your phone number and an SMS code.
Does your agent support remote MCP? Use the simpler MCP setup. Both MCP and the CLI use secure sign-in flows.
1. Install the CLI
npm install -g @allowance/cli2. Connect your phone
Ask your agent to run setup with your phone number. Enter the SMS code when prompted.
allowance setup --phone <phone>
allowance setup --phone <phone> --code <code>Do not run bare allowance setup in an agent session; it requires an interactive terminal.
3. Use a browser-capable agent
CLI purchases require an agent session that can open a merchant site, click and type in checkout, and read page state. Web search or HTTP access alone is not enough.
Let your agent handle setup
Paste this message into a local agent that can follow the Allowance agent guide:
Use Allowance to make purchases for me. Follow https://useallowance.com/SKILL.mdThe phone approval is the spending authorization. After approval, your browser-capable agent can complete checkout without asking you to confirm again unless the total exceeds your approved cap.
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