ink

# Use Ink

[Ink](https://ml.ink) is a cloud platform designed for AI agents to deploy and manage services autonomously. It makes deployments simple enough that fully autonomous agents can handle the entire lifecycle: create, deploy, monitor, and scale services without human intervention.

## Preflight

Before any operation, verify the CLI is installed and authenticated:

```bash
command -v ink                    # CLI installed
ink whoami                        # authenticated
```

If the CLI is missing, install it:

```bash
npm install -g @mldotink/cli      # npm (macOS, Linux, Windows)
brew install mldotink/tap/ink     # Homebrew (macOS)
```

If not authenticated, run `ink login`.

## Configuration

Ink CLI resolves context in this order (highest priority first):

1. **CLI flags** -- `--api-key`, `--workspace`, `--project`
2. **Environment** -- `INK_API_KEY`
3. **Local config** -- `.ink` file in current directory
4. **Global config** -- `~/.config/ink/config`

Use `ink whoami` to check current auth. Use `--json` on any command for machine-readable output.

## Git: Two Options

Ink supports two git providers. Use `ink whoami` to see which are available.

### Option 1: Ink Internal Git (default)

Zero-setup, works for everyone. No GitHub account needed.

```bash
ink repos create my-app           # creates repo, shows git remote URL
git remote add ink <url>          # add the remote
git push ink main                 # push code -- auto-triggers deployment
```

### Option 2: GitHub

Requires GitHub OAuth and GitHub App connected at https://ml.ink (Settings > GitHub).

```bash
ink deploy my-app --repo username/repo-name --host github --port 3000
```

### Auto-Redeploy

Both git providers trigger automatic redeployment on push. After pushing code, just poll `ink status <name>` to track progress -- you do not need to redeploy manually.

## Secrets & Environment Variables

Use `ink secrets` to manage env vars on running services. Changes are merged server-side and trigger...