# How to Uninstall Agent Reach While Keeping Configuration: Complete Guide > Learn how to uninstall Agent Reach and keep your configuration safe. Follow our guide to safely remove Agent Reach while preserving essential data. - Repository: [Pnant/Agent-Reach](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-09 --- **Run `agent-reach uninstall --keep-config` to remove Agent Reach while preserving your saved tokens, cookies, and API credentials stored in the `~/.agent-reach` directory.** Agent Reach is an open-source automation framework hosted in the Panniantong/Agent-Reach repository. When you need to **uninstall Agent Reach while keeping configuration** data intact for future use, the built-in uninstaller provides specific flags that control exactly which files get deleted. ## Where Agent Reach Stores Your Configuration Agent Reach persists all sensitive settings and session data in a dedicated configuration directory. According to the source code in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) (lines 1329-1350), the uninstaller targets the `~/.agent-reach` directory by default, which contains your [`config.yaml`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/config.yaml) file with stored cookies, API keys, and proxy configurations. ### The ~/.agent-reach Directory Structure This directory serves as the central repository for your authentication tokens and environment-specific settings. When you invoke the uninstall command without the preservation flag, the code executes `shutil.rmtree` on this path, permanently erasing your configuration unless you specify otherwise. ## How to Uninstall Agent Reach While Keeping Configuration The `agent-reach uninstall` command accepts the `--keep-config` flag to protect your settings while removing the core application files. This flag is parsed at line 1321 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) within the `_cmd_uninstall` function, preventing the deletion routine from touching the configuration directory. Use these commands to control the uninstallation scope: ```bash # Preview what would be removed without making changes agent-reach uninstall --dry-run # Standard uninstall (removes everything including config) agent-reach uninstall # Uninstall while keeping configuration agent-reach uninstall --keep-config ``` ### Reinstalling After a Preserved Uninstall If you plan to reinstall Agent Reach later, preserving your configuration allows you to skip re-authentication. After uninstalling with `--keep-config`, your `~/.agent-reach` directory remains intact with all tokens and cookies: ```bash # Uninstall but preserve configuration agent-reach uninstall --keep-config # Later reinstall - automatically detects existing config agent-reach install --env=auto ``` ## How the Uninstaller Works Under the Hood The uninstallation logic is implemented in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) between lines 1321-1400. The `_cmd_uninstall` function follows a specific sequence to ensure complete removal of application components while respecting the `--keep-config` and `--dry-run` flags. ### Configuration Directory Handling At line 1329, the code defines `config_dir = os.path.expanduser("~/.agent-reach")`. Unless `args.keep_config` evaluates to true, lines 1339-1350 execute `shutil.rmtree(config_dir)`, recursively deleting the entire configuration folder and its contents. ### Skill Files and MCP Cleanup Beyond the configuration directory, the uninstaller removes skill files installed for supported agents (OpenClaw, Claude Code, and generic `.agents`) at lines 1360-1375. It also cleans up **mcporter MCP entries**, such as the free Exa search backend configuration, between lines 1378-1395. ## Previewing Changes with --dry-run Before committing to the uninstallation, you can preview exactly which files and resources will be removed. The `--dry-run` flag, detected alongside `--keep-config` in the argument parser at line 1321, simulates the deletion process without making actual changes. ```bash agent-reach uninstall --dry-run ``` This outputs a concise summary of the directories and registrations that would be deleted, allowing you to verify the scope before proceeding. ## Complete Post-Uninstall Cleanup After running the Agent Reach uninstaller, you must manually remove the Python package itself and any globally-installed helper tools that were added separately. Remove the core package: ```bash pip uninstall agent-reach ``` Clean up optional global tools installed via npm or pipx: ```bash npm uninstall -g mcporter pipx uninstall twitter-cli npm uninstall -g undici ``` ## Summary - Agent Reach stores configuration in `~/.agent-reach`, including tokens and API keys in [`config.yaml`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/config.yaml). - Use `agent-reach uninstall --keep-config` to preserve your configuration while removing the application. - The uninstaller logic resides in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) lines 1321-1400, using `shutil.rmtree` for directory removal. - The `--dry-run` flag lets you preview deletions before execution. - After uninstalling with `--keep-config`, you can reinstall later and automatically reuse your saved credentials. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Where does Agent Reach store configuration files? Agent Reach stores all configuration files, including [`config.yaml`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/config.yaml) with your cookies, API keys, and proxy settings, in the `~/.agent-reach` directory. This path is hardcoded in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) at line 1329 and expanded using `os.path.expanduser` to ensure cross-platform compatibility. ### What happens if I uninstall without the --keep-config flag? Without the `--keep-config` flag, the uninstaller executes `shutil.rmtree` on the `~/.agent-reach` directory (lines 1339-1350 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py)), permanently deleting your saved tokens, cookies, and all configuration settings. It also removes skill registrations and mcporter MCP entries as part of the complete cleanup. ### Can I reinstall Agent Reach and reuse my saved configuration? Yes. If you uninstall using `--keep-config`, your `~/.agent-reach` directory remains intact. When you subsequently run `agent-reach install --env=auto`, the installer detects the existing configuration directory and automatically reuses your saved cookies and tokens, bypassing the need to re-authenticate. ### What are mcporter entries and why does the uninstaller remove them? Mcporter entries are MCP (Model Context Protocol) configurations, such as the free Exa search backend, that Agent Reach registers with the mcporter tool. The uninstaller removes these between lines 1378-1395 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) to ensure complete cleanup of tool integrations, even when preserving your main configuration with `--keep-config`.