I can't log in to authentik
In case you can't login anymore, perhaps due to an incorrectly configured stage or a failed flow import, you can create a recovery key.
This recovery key will give whoever has the link direct access to your instances. Keep this key safe.
To create the key, run the following command:
docker compose run --rm server create_recovery_key 10 akadmin
For Kubernetes, run
kubectl exec -it deployment/authentik-worker -c worker -- ak create_recovery_key 10 akadmin
or, for CLI, run
uv run ak create_recovery_key 10 akadmin
This will output a link, that can be used to instantly gain access to authentik as the user specified above. The link is valid for amount of years specified above, in this case, 10 years.
Can't access initial setup flow during installation steps
If you're unable to access the initial setup flow (/if/flow/initial-setup/) immediately after installing authentik, first try restarting the containers because this often resolves temporary issues.
However, if the issue persists after restarting, you can directly set the admin password using the following commands:
Docker Compose deployments:
docker compose exec server ak changepassword akadmin
Kubernetes deployments:
kubectl exec -it deployment/authentik-server -c server -- ak changepassword akadmin
After following the prompts to set a new password, you can then login via: https://authentik.company/if/flow/default-authentication-flow/?next=%2F
After logging in, you can set the email address and other settings for the account by navigating to Directory > Users and editing the user account.
This method bypasses the initial setup flow and should only be used as a last resort. The initial setup flow is the recommended method to configure the administrator user.