Argo CD CLI

Install the CLI

Follow the official installation guide for your platform.

Get the Initial Admin Password

The initial admin password is stored in a Kubernetes secret. Retrieve it using kubectl:

kubectl --context=mini get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret \
  -n argocd \
  -o jsonpath='{.data.password}' | base64 -d && echo

Port-forward the Argo CD Server

Since argocd-server is a ClusterIP service, expose it locally before using the CLI:

kubectl --context=mini port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443 &

Log In

argocd login localhost:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password <password> \
  --insecure

Verify Cluster Connection

argocd cluster list

Expected output:

SERVER                          NAME        VERSION  STATUS      MESSAGE  PROJECT
https://kubernetes.default.svc  in-cluster  1.33     Successful

in-cluster is the target Kubernetes cluster managed by Argo CD.