Cloud API - Allternit Docs

Overview

The Allternit Cloud API is the hosted control plane that binds user accounts to self-hosted and managed runtimes. It provides the runtime pairing protocol, the browser-to-runtime relay, hosted runtime lifecycle, the BYO-VPS deploy wizard, and the Cowork Runtime execution API. The API is built from cmd/allternit-cloud-api and runs at https://api.allternit.com in production.

Base URL

https://api.allternit.com

Public health endpoints require no authentication. Runtime pairing creation and exchange are public (like an OAuth device flow). All other endpoints require either a Clerk session JWT or a runtime device token in the Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

Runtime pairing

First-party device pairing binds a desktop or VPS runtime to a human account without giving the runtime the human’s Clerk session token. The runtime generates an Ed25519 keypair, polls for approval, and exchanges the pairing for a revocable device credential.

Pairing endpoints

Method	Path	Auth	Description
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-pairings`	Public	Create a pairing request.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-pairings/exchange`	Public	Exchange an approved pairing for a device token.
GET	`/api/v1/runtime-pairings/code/:code`	Clerk / device	Inspect a pairing by user code.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-pairings/code/:code/approve`	Clerk / device	Approve a pairing request.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-pairings/code/:code/deny`	Clerk / device	Deny a pairing request.
GET	`/api/v1/runtime-devices`	Clerk / device	List paired runtimes.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/verify-token`	Device token	Introspect a device token.
DELETE	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id`	Clerk	Revoke a runtime.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/heartbeat`	Device token	Runtime heartbeat.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/rotate`	Device token	Rotate device credential.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/revoke-self`	Device token	Self-revoke a runtime.

Create a pairing

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runtime-pairings \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Production VPS",
    "runtimeType": "vps",
    "hostname": "prod-01",
    "platform": "linux-amd64",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "publicKey": "base64url-encoded-32-byte-public-key",
    "capabilities": [
      "runtime:connect",
      "runtime:execute",
      "runtime:files",
      "runtime:terminal",
      "providers:connect",
      "providers:use"
    ]
  }'

Response

{
  "pairingId": "pair_abc123",
  "deviceCode": "secret",
  "userCode": "ABCD-2345",
  "challenge": "secret",
  "verificationUrl": "https://platform.allternit.com/pair?code=ABCD-2345",
  "expiresAt": "2026-08-13T20:00:00Z",
  "pollIntervalSeconds": 2
}

Exchange a pairing

The runtime signs the challenge with its Ed25519 private key and polls the exchange endpoint.

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runtime-pairings/exchange \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "pairingId": "pair_abc123",
    "deviceCode": "secret",
    "signature": "base64url-ed25519-signature-of-allternit-runtime-pairing:pairingId:challenge"
  }'

Response

{
  "runtimeId": "rt_xyz789",
  "userId": "user_123",
  "userEmail": "[email protected]",
  "organizationId": "org_456",
  "deviceToken": "allternit_runtime_...",
  "tokenType": "Bearer",
  "expiresAt": "2026-11-11T19:50:00Z",
  "capabilities": ["runtime:connect", "runtime:execute", "runtime:files", "runtime:terminal", "providers:connect", "providers:use"]
}

While approval is pending, the endpoint returns HTTP 428:

{
  "error": "authorization_pending",
  "status": "pending"
}

Capability scopes

Capability	Allows
`runtime:connect`	Heartbeat and accept relay connections.
`runtime:execute`	Generic API execution through the relay.
`runtime:files`	File and workspace endpoints.
`runtime:terminal`	Terminal and PTY endpoints.
`providers:connect`	Write provider credentials.
`providers:use`	Read and use provider connections.

Runtime relay

Once paired, a runtime opens an outbound WebSocket to the cloud API. A Clerk-authenticated browser can then proxy HTTP requests and WebSocket traffic to that runtime without exposing the runtime’s loopback API publicly.

Relay endpoints

Method	Path	Auth	Description
WS	`/api/v1/runtime-relay/connect/:id`	Device token	Runtime relay WebSocket.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/proxy`	Clerk	Proxy an HTTP request to the runtime.
POST	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/socket-ticket`	Clerk	Create a one-time WebSocket ticket.
WS	`/api/v1/runtime-devices/:id/socket?ticket=...`	Ticket	Browser WebSocket to the runtime.

Proxy a request to a runtime

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runtime-devices/rt_xyz789/proxy \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "method": "GET",
    "path": "/api/v1/health",
    "headers": {},
    "body": "",
    "bodyEncoding": "utf8"
  }'

The cloud API verifies ownership and capability, forwards the request over the runtime WebSocket, and streams the response back.

WebSocket ticket

For streaming endpoints, request a ticket first:

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runtime-devices/rt_xyz789/socket-ticket \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"path": "/api/v1/runs/run_123/events/stream"}'

Response

{
  "ticket": "ticket_uuid",
  "expiresInSeconds": 30
}

Connect to the ticketed WebSocket:

wscat -c "wss://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runtime-devices/rt_xyz789/socket?ticket=ticket_uuid"

Allowed relay paths

The runtime proxy only accepts paths under the following prefixes:

/api, /viz, /sandbox, /vm-session, /rails, /stream, /terminal, /mcp,
/platform, /metrics, /alabs, /cowork, /webhooks, /ws, /panes, /status,
/health, /v1

Hosted runtimes

Paid users can provision managed runtimes as Fly Machines. The agent-daemon inside the machine auto-pairs using a one-time bootstrap token.

Hosted runtime endpoints

Method	Path	Auth	Description
GET	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes`	Clerk	List hosted runtimes.
POST	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes`	Clerk	Create a hosted runtime.
GET	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes/entitlement`	Clerk	Get current plan entitlement.
POST	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes/:id/start`	Clerk	Start a stopped runtime.
POST	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes/:id/stop`	Clerk	Stop a runtime.
DELETE	`/api/v1/hosted-runtimes/:id`	Clerk	Destroy a runtime.

Create a hosted runtime

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/hosted-runtimes \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "region": "lax",
    "memoryMb": 1024,
    "name": "Allternit Hosted (lax)"
  }'

Response

{
  "id": "hr_abc123",
  "name": "Allternit Hosted (lax)",
  "region": "lax",
  "status": "starting",
  "runtimeDeviceId": null,
  "cpus": 1,
  "memoryMb": 1024,
  "idleTimeoutMinutes": 15,
  "lastActivityAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z",
  "stopReason": null,
  "monthlyUsageSeconds": 0,
  "monthlyEstimatedCostUsd": 0.0,
  "createdAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z",
  "startedAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z",
  "stoppedAt": null
}

BYO-VPS deploy wizard

The wizard provisions a self-hosted runtime on Hetzner, DigitalOcean, AWS, or a manual SSH target. It runs idempotent bootstrap over SSH, joins the box to the mesh, registers it as a gizzi instance, and mints a one-time pairing token.

Wizard endpoints

Method	Path	Auth	Description
POST	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments`	Clerk	Start a wizard deployment.
GET	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments`	Clerk	List wizard sessions.
GET	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id`	Clerk	Get wizard state.
POST	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id/advance`	Clerk	Advance to the next step.
POST	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id/resume`	Clerk	Resume after a human checkpoint.
POST	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id/cancel`	Clerk	Cancel the wizard.
DELETE	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id`	Clerk	Delete a terminal wizard session.
POST	`/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/:id/bootstrap`	Clerk	Run or retry the bootstrap step.

Start a wizard

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "provider": "hetzner",
    "apiToken": "hetzner-api-token",
    "instanceName": "allternit-prod-01",
    "region": "fsn1",
    "instanceType": "cx21",
    "storageGb": 50
  }'

Response

{
  "deploymentId": "dep_abc123",
  "currentStep": "SelectProvider",
  "context": {
    "provider": "hetzner",
    "instanceName": "allternit-prod-01",
    "region": "fsn1",
    "instanceType": "cx21",
    "storageGb": 50
  }
}

The response is redacted: apiToken, sshPrivateKey, and sshPassword are never echoed.

Bootstrap the box

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/cloud/wizard/deployments/dep_abc123/bootstrap \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <clerk-session-token>"

Response

{
  "deploymentId": "dep_abc123",
  "status": "complete",
  "meshIp": "100.64.0.5",
  "instanceName": "allternit-prod-01",
  "url": "http://100.64.0.5:8013",
  "paired": true,
  "runtimeId": "rt_xyz789",
  "wizard": { ... }
}

If the bootstrap fails for a recoverable reason, retry the same request. Non-recoverable failures or exhausted attempt caps return HTTP 409:

{
  "error": "bootstrap_not_retryable",
  "recoverable": false,
  "bootstrapAttempts": 3,
  "maxBootstrapAttempts": 3
}

Cowork Runtime

Runs are the core execution unit in the Cowork Runtime. The cloud API exposes run lifecycle, event streaming, schedules, approvals, jobs, and checkpoints.

Run endpoints

Method	Path	Description
POST	`/api/v1/runs`	Create a run.
GET	`/api/v1/runs`	List runs.
GET	`/api/v1/runs/:id`	Get a run.
PUT	`/api/v1/runs/:id`	Update run metadata.
DELETE	`/api/v1/runs/:id`	Delete a run.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/start`	Start a run.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/pause`	Pause a run.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/resume`	Resume a run.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/cancel`	Cancel a run.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/attach`	Attach a client.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/detach`	Detach a client.
GET	`/api/v1/runs/:id/attachments`	List attachments.
GET	`/api/v1/runs/:id/events`	List events.
GET	`/api/v1/runs/:id/events/stream`	Stream events (SSE).
WS	`/ws/runs/:id`	Stream events (WebSocket).
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/checkpoints`	Create a checkpoint.
GET	`/api/v1/runs/:id/checkpoints`	List checkpoints.
GET	`/api/v1/checkpoints/:id`	Get a checkpoint.
DELETE	`/api/v1/checkpoints/:id`	Delete a checkpoint.
POST	`/api/v1/runs/:id/restore`	Restore a checkpoint.

Create a run

curl -X POST https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ALLTERNIT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Nightly sync",
    "description": "Sync production database",
    "mode": "local",
    "config": {
      "command": "./scripts/sync.sh",
      "args": ["--verbose"],
      "workingDir": "/workspace",
      "env": { "API_KEY": "secret123" },
      "resourceLimits": {
        "memoryMb": 2048,
        "cpuCores": 2.0,
        "diskGb": 10,
        "timeoutSeconds": 3600
      }
    },
    "autoStart": true
  }'

Response

{
  "id": "run_abc123",
  "name": "Nightly sync",
  "description": "Sync production database",
  "mode": "local",
  "status": "pending",
  "stepCursor": null,
  "totalSteps": null,
  "completedSteps": 0,
  "config": { ... },
  "ownerId": null,
  "tenantId": "user_123",
  "runtimeId": null,
  "runtimeType": null,
  "scheduleId": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z",
  "startedAt": null,
  "completedAt": null,
  "errorMessage": null,
  "errorDetails": null
}

Stream events

curl -N https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/runs/run_abc123/events/stream \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ALLTERNIT_API_KEY"

Each SSE line is a JSON event:

{
  "id": "evt_001",
  "runId": "run_abc123",
  "sequence": 1,
  "eventType": "run_created",
  "payload": { "runName": "Nightly sync", "mode": "local" },
  "sourceClientId": null,
  "sourceClientType": null,
  "createdAt": "2026-08-13T19:50:00Z"
}

Schedule endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	`/api/v1/schedules`	List schedules.
POST	`/api/v1/schedules`	Create a schedule.
GET	`/api/v1/schedules/:id`	Get a schedule.
PUT	`/api/v1/schedules/:id`	Update a schedule.
DELETE	`/api/v1/schedules/:id`	Delete a schedule.
POST	`/api/v1/schedules/:id/enable`	Enable a schedule.
POST	`/api/v1/schedules/:id/disable`	Disable a schedule.
POST	`/api/v1/schedules/:id/trigger`	Trigger a schedule manually.

Approval endpoints

Method	Path	Description
GET	`/api/v1/approvals`	List approvals.
POST	`/api/v1/approvals`	Create an approval.
GET	`/api/v1/approvals/:id`	Get an approval.
POST	`/api/v1/approvals/:id/approve`	Approve a request.
POST	`/api/v1/approvals/:id/deny`	Deny a request.
POST	`/api/v1/approvals/:id/cancel`	Cancel an approval.

Health and metrics

Method	Path	Auth	Description
GET	`/api/v1/health`	Public	Database health.
GET	`/api/v1/health/ready`	Public	Readiness probe.
GET	`/api/v1/health/live`	Public	Liveness probe.
GET	`/api/v1/metrics`	Public	Prometheus metrics.

curl https://api.allternit.com/api/v1/health/live

{ "alive": true }

Error codes

Status	Code	Meaning
200	`ok`	Success.
201	`created`	Resource created.
204	`no_content`	Resource deleted.
400	`bad_request`	Invalid request parameters.
401	`unauthorized`	Missing or invalid authentication.
403	`forbidden`	Permission denied or plan limit reached.
404	`not_found`	Resource not found.
409	`conflict`	Resource conflict, non-retryable bootstrap, or terminal state mismatch.
410	`expired_token`	Pairing or credential expired.
428	`authorization_pending`	Pairing waiting for approval.
429	`rate_limited`	Too many requests.
502	`bad_gateway`	Upstream runtime or mesh error.
503	`service_unavailable`	Service not configured or runtime warming/offline.
504	`gateway_timeout`	Runtime did not respond in time.

Rate limits

Authenticated API routes: 60 requests per minute by default (RATE_LIMIT_RPM).
Public pairing and relay routes: 30 requests per minute by default (PUBLIC_RATE_LIMIT_RPM).

Rate limit headers are included on responses:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 60
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 59
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1723575600

Environment variables

Variable	Purpose
`PORT` / `BIND_ADDR`	HTTP server bind address.
`DATABASE_URL`	SQLite path or Postgres URL.
`CLERK_ISSUER` / `CLERK_JWKS_URL`	Clerk JWT verification.
`ALLTERNIT_PLATFORM_URL`	Browser pairing origin.
`CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS`	Allowed browser origins.
`ALLTERNIT_CREDENTIALS_KEY`	AES-256-GCM key for provider tokens and wizard checkpoints.
`FLY_API_TOKEN` / `FLY_ORG_SLUG`	Hosted runtime provisioning.
`HEADSCALE_API_KEY`	Mesh enrollment service.
`STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET`	Billing webhook verification.

​Overview

​Base URL

​Runtime pairing

​Pairing endpoints

​Create a pairing

​Response

​Exchange a pairing

​Response

​Capability scopes

​Runtime relay

​Relay endpoints

​Proxy a request to a runtime

​WebSocket ticket

​Response

​Allowed relay paths

​Hosted runtimes

​Hosted runtime endpoints

​Create a hosted runtime

​Response

​BYO-VPS deploy wizard

​Wizard endpoints

​Start a wizard

​Response

​Bootstrap the box

​Response

​Cowork Runtime

​Run endpoints

​Create a run

​Response

​Stream events

​Schedule endpoints

​Approval endpoints

​Health and metrics

​Error codes

​Rate limits

​Environment variables

​Related pages

Overview

Base URL

Runtime pairing

Pairing endpoints

Create a pairing

Response

Exchange a pairing

Response

Capability scopes

Runtime relay

Relay endpoints

Proxy a request to a runtime

WebSocket ticket

Response

Allowed relay paths

Hosted runtimes

Hosted runtime endpoints

Create a hosted runtime

Response

BYO-VPS deploy wizard

Wizard endpoints

Start a wizard

Response

Bootstrap the box

Response

Cowork Runtime

Run endpoints

Create a run

Response

Stream events

Schedule endpoints

Approval endpoints

Health and metrics

Error codes

Rate limits

Environment variables

Related pages