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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cyberdesk.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Cyberdriver CLI is useful when you bake a Windows AMI or golden template, then clone many VMs from it. The main rule is simple: install Cyberdriver in the image, but connect each cloned VM with its own API key and identity when it first boots.

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Install on Windows

Use the PowerShell installer script in Cyberdriver Quickstart. That page is the source of truth for installing Cyberdriver, adding it to PATH, and verifying the CLI. The current Windows installer requires Administrator because it installs Cyberdriver as a system service. You can run the Cyberdriver app as a normal user after installation, but a fully non-admin Windows install is not currently supported by the public Cyberdriver MSI.

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Common commands

After using the installer script above, restart PowerShell and Cyberdriver.exe should be available from any directory: 
Cyberdriver.exe --version
Cyberdriver.exe status
Cyberdriver.exe config-print
Cyberdriver.exe logs --tail 65536
Cyberdriver.exe stop
config-print shows the current Cyberdesk environment, API base, Cyberdesk machine fingerprint, RustDesk peer ID, and whether the API key is configured. For scripts, resolve the executable from PATH instead of assuming a drive letter: 
$Cyberdriver = (Get-Command Cyberdriver.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Source

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Join Cyberdesk

Run this on the VM after it boots: 
$Cyberdriver = (Get-Command Cyberdriver.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Source
& $Cyberdriver join --secret YOUR_API_KEY
For dev: 
& $Cyberdriver join --secret YOUR_API_KEY --env dev
For a custom API host: 
& $Cyberdriver join --secret YOUR_API_KEY --api-base wss://your-api.example.com

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Build an AMI or Image

1

Install Cyberdriver in the image

Install the Cyberdriver MSI while preparing your base Windows image.Do not join Cyberdesk in the base image unless you generate a new identity before each clone starts.
2

Add first-boot bootstrap

Configure your launch script, user data, or image init process to run:
$Cyberdriver = (Get-Command Cyberdriver.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Source
& $Cyberdriver join --secret $env:CYBERDESK_API_KEY --new-identity
--new-identity resets both pieces of machine identity: the Cyberdesk fingerprint and the RustDesk peer ID/keypair. Use this for AMIs, templates, and cloned hosts. Reinstalling or updating Cyberdriver without this flag preserves identity.
3

Set a display name

Pass a name when the VM first joins:
& $Cyberdriver join --secret $env:CYBERDESK_API_KEY --name "worker-$env:COMPUTERNAME"
Names are optional but make large fleets much easier to manage.
4

Verify registration

After boot, check:
& $Cyberdriver status
& $Cyberdriver config-print
Then confirm the desktop appears in the Cyberdesk dashboard.

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Remote keepalive from a host

If a host machine runs the remote desktop software for many VMs, you can register that host as the remote keepalive machine for a VM: 
& $Cyberdriver join --secret YOUR_API_KEY --register-as-keepalive-for <MAIN_MACHINE_ID>
The same value can be configured in Cyberdriver → Settings → Network → Remote keepalive for. See Keepalive for the full host + VM explanation.

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Useful flags

FlagUse
--secretCyberdesk organization API key.
--nameOptional dashboard display name.
--new-identityGenerate a new Cyberdesk fingerprint and RustDesk peer ID/keypair before joining.
--env devPoint Cyberdriver at Cyberdesk development.
--api-baseCustom Cyberdesk tunnel API base.
--register-as-keepalive-forLink this host as remote keepalive for a main machine ID.

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Troubleshooting

If cloned VMs overwrite each other in the dashboard, the image was cloned with persisted identity. Run: 
$Cyberdriver = (Get-Command Cyberdriver.exe -ErrorAction Stop).Source
& $Cyberdriver join --secret YOUR_API_KEY --new-identity
If the VM does not appear connected, check logs: 
& $Cyberdriver logs --tail 65536
If you use a host-level remote keepalive Cyberdriver, make sure the host and VM API keys belong to the same Cyberdesk organization.