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When interacting with HashiCorp Consul via the CLI, you must authenticate requests using an ACL token. This guide covers four primary ways to supply your token:
MethodUsage ScopeExample
Environment VariableEntire shell sessionexport CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN
Token-File Environment VariableEntire shell sessionexport CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN_FILE=/path/to/token.txt
--token Command-Line FlagSingle commandconsul members --token YOUR_TOKEN
--token-file Command-Line FlagSingle commandconsul members --token-file /path/to/token.txt
Environment variables persist across all Consul commands in your current shell, while CLI flags apply only to the specific command where they’re used.

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1. Export an Environment Variable

Supply the ACL token once per session. All subsequent Consul commands will automatically pick it up: 
export CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN=ec15675e-2999-d789-832e-8c4794daa8d7
consul members   # Uses token from $CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN
Storing tokens as environment variables is convenient, but ensure your shell history is secured to prevent accidental leakage.

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2. Export a Token-File Environment Variable

If you prefer keeping tokens out of your shell history, you can point to a file that contains the token: 
export CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN_FILE=/etc/consul/token.txt
consul members   # Reads the token from /etc/consul/token.txt
Validate that the file has restrictive permissions (chmod 600) to protect sensitive data.

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3. Use the --token Flag

For one-off commands, specify the token inline. This overrides any environment variable settings: 
consul members --token ec15675e-2999-d789-832e-8c4794daa8d7

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4. Use the --token-file Flag

Combine the security of a file with the precision of a per-command setting: 
consul members --token-file /etc/consul/token.txt
The --token-file flag instructs Consul to read the token from the specified path, mirroring the behavior of CONSUL_HTTP_TOKEN_FILE.

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Summary

When starting a new shell session, remember to re-export any environment variables. In exam or production scenarios, you may be asked to demonstrate any of these four ACL token injection techniques.

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