vault/website/content/docs/troubleshoot/generate-root-token.mdx

---
layout: docs
page_title: Regenerate a Vault root token
description: >-
  Regenerate a lost or revoked root token.
---

# Regenerate a Vault root token

Your Vault root token is a special token that gives you access to **all** Vault
operations. Best practice is to enable an appropriate authentication method for
Vault admins once the server is running and revoke the root token.

For emergency situations where your require a root token, you can use the
[`operator generate-root`](/vault/docs/commands/operator/generate-root) CLI
command and a one-time password (OTP) or Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to generate
a new root token.

## Before you start

- **You need your Vault keys**. If you use auto-unseal, you need your
  [recovery](/vault/docs/concepts/seal#recovery-key) keys, otherwise you need
  your unseal keys.
- **Identify current key holders**. You must distribute the token nonce to your
  unseal/recovery key holders during root token generation.

## Step 1: Create a root token nonce

1. Generate a token nonce for your new root token:

   <Tabs>
   <Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

   **You need the returned OTP value to decode the new root token**.

   ```shell-session
   $ vault operator generate-root -init

   A One-Time-Password has been generated for you and is shown in the OTP field.
   You will need this value to decode the resulting root token, so keep it safe.
   Nonce         15565c79-cc9e-5e64-b986-8506e7bd1918
   Started       true
   Progress      0/1
   Complete      false
   OTP           5JFQaH76Ky2TIuSt4SPvO1CGkx
   OTP Length    26
   ```

   </Tab>
   <Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

   Use the `-pgp-key` option to provide a path to your PGP public key or Keybase
   username to encrypt the new root token. **You will need the returned PGP
   value to decode the new root token**.

   ```shell-session
   $ vault operator generate-root -init -pgp-key=keybase:sethvargo

   Nonce              e24dec5e-f1ea-2dfe-ecce-604022006976
   Started            true
   Progress           0/5
   Complete           false
   PGP Fingerprint    e2f8e2974623ba2a0e933a59c921994f9c27e0ff
   ```

   </Tab>
   </Tabs>

1. Distribute the nonce to each of your unseal/recovery key holders.

## Step 2: Establish key quorum with the token nonce

<Highlight title="Use TTY to autocomplete the nonce">

  If you use a TTY, the `operator generate-root` command prompts for your key
  and automatically completes the nonce value.

</Highlight>

1. Have each unseal/recovery key holder run `operator generator-root` with their
   key and the distributed nonce value:

   ```shell-session
   $ echo ${UNSEAL_OR_RECOVERY_KEY} | vault operator generate-root -nonce=${NONCE_VALUE} -

   Root generation operation nonce: f67f4da3-4ae4-68fb-4716-91da6b609c3e
   Unseal Key (will be hidden):
   ```

1. Vault returns the new, encoded root token to the user who triggers quorum:

   <Tabs>
   <Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

   ```shell-session
   Nonce            f67f4da3-4ae4-68fb-4716-91da6b609c3e
   Started          true
   Progress         5/5
   Complete         true
   Encoded Token    IxJpyqxn3YafOGhqhvP6cQ==
   ```

   </Tab>

   <Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

   ```shell-session
   Nonce                 e24dec5e-f1ea-2dfe-ecce-604022006976
   Started               true
   Progress              1/1
   Complete              true
   PGP Fingerprint       e2f8e2974623ba2a0e933a59c921994f9c27e0ff
   Encoded Token         wcFMA0RVkFtoqzRlARAAI3Ux8kdSpfgXdF9mg...
   ```

   </Tab>
   </Tabs>

## Step 3: Decode the new root token

Decode the new root token using OTP or PGP.

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="OTP" group="otp">

Use `operator generate-root` and the OTP value from nonce generation to decode
the new root token:

```shell-session
$ vault operator generate-root \
   -decode=${ENCODED_TOKEN}    \
   -otp=${NONCE_OTP}

hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="PGP" group="pgp">

Use your PGP credentials and `gpg` or `keybase` to decrypt the new root token.


**`gpg`**:

```shell-session
$ echo ${ENCODED_TOKEN} | base64 --decode | gpg --decrypt

hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

**`keybase`**:

```shell-session
$ echo ${ENCODED_TOKEN} | base64 --decode | keybase pgp decrypt

hvs.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>