Got it — let’s figure out why the CLI thinks you’re unauthenticated even though you’re logged in. A few quick questions to pinpoint it: - What’s your Prefect version? Please run:

prefect version

- Which exact command(s) are saying “not authenticated,” and what’s the full error text? - Are you running in a container/CI or setting any

PREFECT_*

environment variables? In Prefect 3.x, profiles can be overridden by environment variables (they take precedence). That’s the most common reason for “I’m logged in but still unauthenticated.” Here are quick checks and remedies: 1) Confirm the active profile and its settings

prefect profile ls
prefect profile inspect
prefect config view

You should see

PREFECT_API_URL

pointing to Cloud and a

PREFECT_API_KEY

set (the key value will be redacted in output). 2) Check for environment overrides - macOS/Linux:

env | grep PREFECT_

- Windows (PowerShell):

gci env:PREFECT_*

If

PREFECT_API_URL

is set here but

PREFECT_API_KEY

is missing (or vice versa), the CLI can appear “not authenticated.” Unset the problematic env var(s) or align them with your profile. 3) Verify workspace and session

prefect cloud workspace ls
prefect cloud open

If the workspace isn’t set or is wrong, set it:

prefect cloud workspace set <account_handle>/<workspace_handle>

4) Re-login (quick reset)

prefect cloud logout
prefect cloud login

Or explicitly:

prefect cloud login -k <API_KEY> -w <account_handle>/<workspace_handle>

5) Validate config

prefect config validate

If you share: - the output of

prefect version

- the output of

prefect profile inspect

(redact your key) - the exact command and error text - any

PREFECT_*

env vars …I can pinpoint the cause and get you back in business fast.

Thanks for the details — your profile looks correct and you’re on Prefect 3.4.14. The most common cause of “not authenticated” despite a good-looking profile is an environment variable overriding your profile inside the Poetry environment. Let’s verify what the CLI actually sees in the same Poetry context and pinpoint the override: - Show the active profile and resolved config (this reveals env var precedence):

poetry run prefect profile ls
poetry run prefect profile inspect
poetry run prefect config view
poetry run prefect config validate

- Check for any PREFECT_* environment variables that could be overriding your profile (especially an empty or mismatched

PREFECT_API_KEY

or

PREFECT_API_URL

): - macOS/Linux:

poetry run env | grep PREFECT_

- Windows (PowerShell):

poetry run powershell -NoProfile -Command "gci env:PREFECT_*"

- Quick Cloud checks:

poetry run prefect cloud workspace ls
poetry run prefect cloud open

If you see any

PREFECT_API_*

values in the env that differ from your profile (or

PREFECT_API_KEY

is blank), unset/fix them in your shell or Poetry’s environment and try again. Then, if needed, do a clean reset:

poetry run prefect cloud logout
poetry run prefect cloud login -k <API_KEY> -w <account_handle>/<workspace_handle>

If it still fails, please share: - The exact command that says “not authenticated” and the full error text - Output of: -

poetry run prefect config view

-

poetry run env | grep PREFECT_

- Optionally, rerun the failing command with debug logs:

PREFECT_LOGGING_LEVEL=DEBUG poetry run prefect <your-command>

With that, I can zero in on the cause quickly.