Login required without a reason + Trial without sign in + Offline mode

[swsnider]

Discord username (optional)

No response

Describe the bug

I downloaded warp for the first time based on a link someone sent me about it being in public beta, but I'm immediately presented with a login form that I cannot dismiss. I know I cannot be the only developer who would never do a cloud login to use a terminal, let alone do it without any indication why it's needed or what it implies will be collected/transmitted to the warp team.

To Reproduce

Steps to reproduce:

1. Go to https://www.warp.dev
2. Click on Download
3. Drag app to Applications
4. Run Warp

Expected behaviour

A terminal emulator or similar experience opening quickly and slickly

Screenshots

No response

Operating System

MacOS

OS Version

No response

Additional context

No response

[Neo23x0]

The free app, in which I'm going to type all my passwords, not just the passwords for the remote logins but also the passwords to load private keys or 2FA codes, requires me to login to an online service.

Ha! Who would use such a an App? Adrenaline junkies. It's crazy.

[ashersilver]

Really disappointed - would rather have a paid app I can trust so until then .. hasta la vista, baby!

[karthikskumar]

Not sure how many more people need to chime in to communicate this. Collecting identifiable telemetry on something that is so personal feels like a violation of my privacy.

I stared at the login screen looking for a skip button. Disappointed. :(

[psychtek]

I gave it a go. To log into a terminal app? Thats weird. Revoked and binned.

[GENnetuk-DEV]

I tried this and think its pretty good actually, but as many have pointed out, when you're 'offline' as I am quite often in a dc environment, it simply doesn't work and no way around it. That's a real disappointment and I can't recommend a tool that only works online when there's no sensible reason it has it.

[NViktors]

+1 here. Also waiting for the update that makes possible to disable any kind of telemetry/analytics due to privacy reasons.

[vlmlee]

Do you get locked out of the terminal if you have spotty internet?

[GENnetuk-DEV]

Ohhh this is closed source. Otherwise I would just make a fork and remove GitHub and team features and use it!

See #400

I also hadn't realised this :( what a shame. Anyhow, I can't consider a closed source terminal that hasn't been independently audited for the very obvious reasons already stated here, what an amazing attack vector.

[smereczynski]

How to opt-out? I don't see the information about opt-out on privacy page. I feel like it is GDPR non-compliant.

[magnussp]

Love the ideea but forcing sign-in and that the actual terminal source is not open to inspect makes it a no-go for me and my team. You need to offer an offline-mode option IMOO.

[skandragon]

I really wanted to like this product. I saw so many youtube videos on how cool it seemed to be.

I then found out that it is closed source. Not great for something I type passwords into.

I thought I'd try it anyway. And then I was told I had to log in before even trying it.

It has been immediately uninstalled.

I cannot trust my security to a closed source, login-required, arbitrary-network-access-required terminal.

[davidmondok]

Once logged in, there doesn't seem to be a straight forward way to log out. I actually haven't found a way to log out at all.

[AndreaPi]

We cannot trust our security to a closed source app that forces you to login. I'm not interested in AI completion or Block Sharing, so I don't see why I should be forced to log in. Also, how does one log out?

[dannyneira]

We cannot trust our security to a closed source app that forces you to login. I'm not interested in AI completion or Block Sharing, so I don't see why I should be forced to log in. Also, how does one log out?

Remove Warp user login with sudo security delete-generic-password -l "dev.warp.Warp-Stable" $HOME/Library/Keychains/login.keychain

[AndreaPi]

Thanks @dannyneira. I have to say, the uninstall procedure is simple and thorough:

https://docs.warp.dev/help/uninstalling-warp

Unfortunately I had to remove Warp, but if/when a full offline modality will be available, I'll be sure to download it again. Clearly, I'd be willing to pay for such a feature.

[smereczynski]

@dannyneira how about opting-out from account and right to be forgotten?

[dannyneira]

@smereczynski The account or login opt-out updates will be posted on this issue.

More on why we require login here: https://www.warp.dev/blog/telemetry-now-optional-in-warp

TLDR: We understand the desire to try Warp before logging in and are exploring product experiences that will allow users to preview Warp before signup.

[strannik19]

I think that the fundamental issue here isn't that people want to try before they sign up. the issue here is that a terminal emulator should NOT be sending ANY kind of telemetry anywhere, especially while authenticated and individually identifiable.

[karthikskumar]

I've expressed my disappointment before and want to propose an alternative in the spirit of trying to be a part of the solution: How about an "Offline Only" version of Warp that requires no login and absolutely no telemetry?

[chaudharydeepak]

exactly same - I will NOT try any editor / terminal which requires me to login [ no justified reason for me to ] and asks about collecting telemetry - sounds fishy and smelly. downloaded, installed and now removed.

[leftbones]

Just want to join the cacophony of complaints to say I also don't like being required to sign in. If there was legitimate reason, maybe, but as of right now it doesn't seem like there is one.

[levrik]

@dannyneira

We understand the desire to try Warp before logging in and are exploring product experiences that will allow users to preview Warp before signup.

The main reason to try Warp for me was the editing experience, none of the cloud features. I don't think I'll ever need any of these. It shouldn't be necessary to "explore" product experiences which make login unnecessary. Just put the cloud-features behind the login, keep the rest available without.

Many people in this thread have pointed out that they are not interested in the cloud features, so the reasoning you are repeating since the initial release just doesn't apply here. Yes, Figma, GitHub and other collaborative apps require login, to provide you with collaborative features or just cloud storage of your things. None of this applies to the base feature set of Warp.

[slistre]

This week Warp was prohibited from our machines due to the login/telemetry requirement. I thought it would be a more contentious decision, but I've been impressed by the level-headed discourse we've had since.

Maybe the team will eventually recognize the obstacle they're creating here, even if they don't there are plenty of other options out there.

[levrik]

@slistre While I still don't like the forced login as outlined above, the telemetry requirement was dropped in December 2022 which I guess has been the biggest concern.

[monokrome]

@levrik Telemetry or not, login is unnecessary and a questionable behavior for a terminal from a privacy perspective.

[levrik]

@monokrome Never said that I like the forced login.

[NViktors]

To anyone who does not like telemetry and analytics (and other suspicious network activity), I can suggest an open-source firewall like LuLu. Just block any outgoing traffic and voila!

Everything else (like SSH etc) works like a charm! Yes, for sure you may lose some Warp features which require you to be online, but hey - I personally don't need them.

[martinpk]

exploring product experiences that will allow users to preview Warp before signup.

To be clear, I'm not interested in a login-free trial: We want to be able to use a terminal without logging in at all, ever. Until then, Warp isn't an option for us.

If you want to offer an opt-in newsletter or forum membership, that's fine, but implementing required telemetry (albeit abandoned in December 2022, apparently) in a tool that has access to my filesystem, including ssh keys and other secrets, as well as all the servers and other systems that I access through my terminal? Nope.

[djpowers]

Echoing the request for a way to permanently use Warp without the need for creating an account or logging in. I understand the need for cloud features to be tied to an account, but unless a user is trying to use such a feature I would strongly prefer logging in to not be required.

I think it's fine to prompt users to sign in upon first launch or when attempting to use a collaborative feature like block sharing, but ideally users should still be able to opt out if desired.

[elMestre]

Hi there. Just writing to share the same feeling

Currently, I'm giving lectures, so I don't care about this code or even this computer, but I will never give it a try on my own system, or in a development environment.

[bdrelling]

Just echoing the above sentiments: I immediately went to try Warp for the first time, saw the login screen that couldn't be skipped, and uninstalled.

If you want to include plugins that require sign in, I could understand that for specific use-cases, but there's no good reason I could see my terminal needing an account.

[ktech-rob]

Installed, asked to log in, immediately uninstalled.

Lock the cloud features behind a login and leave the regular terminal experience open to all.

[DerFichtl]

+1

[JRileyH]

Similar experience as many here. Downloaded, got asked to login, uninstalled. All cloud dependent features could be opt in with login. Before ever even using the software though? Absolutely not.

[archonic]

Others have said they do not want a sign up/sign in without a compelling reason. I wanted to chime in and say that for me, there is no compelling reason. I simply do not want a cloud enabled terminal. I know that makes it harder to monetize, but that's my reality. Uninstalling.

[kyr-ahill]

Another voice. Installed, saw login requirement (then came to the internet to find this thread), uninstalled, left this comment.

Hahaha no thanks! Get rid of that, and I'll try it again. Crazy that it's been nearly a year, and this feature still hasn't been removed.

[chrislambe]

Did exactly what @kyr-ahill did; saw the login prompt, found this issue, uninstalled. If you want me to pay for it then fine, sell me a key. I'm not interested in needing a cloud account to use my shell terminal.

[pejax]

Same here - wanted to give it a try, but why a cloud login with a terminal that knows my root password? Good bye Warp - hello Alacritty until this is fixed/removed. I actually do not know any freelance developer colleague who accepts the login procedure. Missed chance for Warp.

[xrival]

Same here. I was curious about this terminal, installed it, launched it, got the log in invite without any opt-out, and uninstalled it immediately. There are so many reasons why this is a terrible idea... I will not look at it ever again, I will never trust developers who put up such a "feature".

[fwielstra]

The earnings model for this tool is going to be the AI assisted tooling, but in order for people to even discover it there's a login; I hope the developers are already collecting metrics before login and realize how many people drop off when faced with the login prompt.

Oh, and now I got an e-mail without opting in.

Let people try before logging in; don't ask for an e-mail address because there's no need for it unless you start billing them for the extra services.

[trollfred]

+1 this should be optional

[mdaliyan]

Well, the reason for required login is said to be the concept of “your stuff” and “your team’s stuff”. Why would I even need to protect “my stuff” and “my team’s stuff” with an account and password? Even if I need to have multiple profiles, a dropdown is all I need to switch between them.

But that's not the real reason.

The real reason is the business model. Sorry to say that, but we live in an era that seeing a privacy policy document doesn't make you sure about your privacy. I don't event want my terminal be able to connect to internet, let alone being associated with my identity!

• Privacy concerns
• 1.3k open issues on Github
• 1 year of not listening to customers voice

These are good enough reasons to pass on Warp. Sorry

[Dekyi]

Download, install and deleted. I will not trust a developer who claims a forced login to a terminal to be a good idea.

[zoelounge]

Download, install and deleted. I will not trust anyone who claims a forced login to a terminal to be a good idea. The terminal was the only serious thing left on a PC (Mac or Windows) , asking for login and tracking command is the most absurd thing in the world. We all got crazy. Good By Warp Teams

[mt-matthias]

Was curious to use this for the non-AI features, but login requirement for a terminal emulator is a no-go for me.

[ckpearson]

This looked like a great app, was skeptical about the AI features so not that fussed about them, as soon as it was clear I would have to sign up / sign in I immediately uninstalled it.

Any analytics / cloud features should be opt-in.

[barryanders]

Rust and Metal? Finally, a worthy alternative to Terminal.

Features	Warp	Terminal
Cloudless	❌	✅

Oh wait, nevermind.

[stevenwalton]

Unique user identity is required to support Warp's collaborative features and it makes it easier for the Warp team to provide customer support, should you need to debug an issue.

• I don't need collaborative features.

  • Collaborative features can easily be done with direct encrypted links and warp has no need to know where I'm SSHing. There are many programs and methods that can achieve these things with no privacy loss.

• Neither you nor I need a unique ID for debugging.

  • If you need an ID for debugging then something is very wrong.

Shells are intimate systems for computers, able to access every folder and have root capabilities. It is absolutely unbelievable to me that a developer would think that this would be a good idea. Even if you believe you will never do any wrong with that data, you can't guarantee that no one else will.

The telemetry looks like a metadata keylogger. It doesn't really matter if you don't collect input and output if you are collecting information about how long commands take, when secrets are copied, regex is used, opens a tab, moves tabs, notifications are clicked, or anything is clicked, and essentially any action the user performs. Metadata is still incredibly invasive.

The Privacy Policy reads atrociously. It sounds like you have the capacity to install keyloggers into the system. It also reads as if you are scanning users' commands. There's an irony that your TOS says you can't use this to violate privacy laws (2.3.e) when this itself is clearly not GDPR compliant.

The product looks good enough that you could charge for it. There is no reason you need to go the Surveillance Capitalism route to fund this. Notably the TOS doesn't seem to have any information about what you will share and who with (other than law enforcement).

This is a privacy nightmare

[kagbodji]

saw a vid about Warp on youtube, decided, why not give this shiny new tool a try, homebrew-installed, launched, and was met with a login prompt. To a terminal. What?? No thanks, immediately uninstalled.

[Mafiend]

Like many, saw a video and it looked pretty nice, just being able to move the cursor with mouse and cut and paste got me interested. And like others, downloaded, installed, saw the signup, and then uninstalled, makes me want to make a terminal app myself and make it open source when I see things like this.