# How to Uninstall Agent Reach While Preserving Configuration: Complete CLI Guide > Uninstall Agent Reach safely with our CLI guide. Preserve your configuration by running `agent-reach uninstall --keep-config` and keep tokens and API keys ready for future use. - Repository: [Pnant/Agent-Reach](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-07-11 --- **To uninstall Agent Reach while preserving your configuration, run `agent-reach uninstall --keep-config`, which removes skill files and MCPorter entries but leaves the `~/.agent-reach` directory containing your tokens and API keys intact.** Agent Reach provides a built-in uninstaller that automates cleanup across multiple directories and configuration files. The uninstallation logic resides in the `_cmd_uninstall` function within [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) in the Panniantong/Agent-Reach repository, supporting both full removal and selective preservation of user data. ## Understanding the Agent Reach Uninstaller The **uninstaller** is implemented as a first-class CLI command rather than a manual cleanup script. When you execute `agent-reach uninstall`, the `_cmd_uninstall` function in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) orchestrates a four-step teardown process that targets specific installation artifacts while respecting flags like `--keep-config` and `--dry-run`. This design ensures that **configuration data** stored in `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml`—which contains sensitive information like tokens, cookies, and API keys—can be retained for future reinstallations while removing the functional components of the tool. ## Step-by-Step Uninstallation Methods ### Standard Uninstall (Full Removal) To completely remove Agent Reach including all configuration data, execute the base uninstall command: ```bash agent-reach uninstall ``` This command triggers the full cleanup sequence defined in lines 94-174 of [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py), removing the configuration directory, skill file symlinks, and MCPorter backend entries. ### Preserving Configuration with --keep-config To **uninstall Agent Reach while preserving configuration**, append the `--keep-config` flag: ```bash agent-reach uninstall --keep-config ``` According to the source code at lines 94-108 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py), when `--keep-config` is present, the uninstaller skips the removal of the `~/.agent-reach` directory. This preserves your [`config.yaml`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/config.yaml) with all tokens, cookies, and API keys intact, allowing you to reinstall later without re-authenticating. ### Previewing Changes with --dry-run Before executing any destructive operations, verify what will be removed using the **dry-run** mode: ```bash agent-reach uninstall --dry-run ``` This flag simulates the uninstallation process without modifying the filesystem, displaying which directories and entries would be deleted during a real run. ## What Gets Removed During Uninstallation The `_cmd_uninstall` function targets four distinct components, as implemented in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py): ### Configuration Directory (~/.agent-reach) By default, the uninstaller removes the entire `~/.agent-reach` directory (lines 94-108), which houses the [`config.yaml`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/config.yaml) file managed by [`agent_reach/config.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/config.py). This file stores user credentials and preferences. Unless `--keep-config` is specified, this directory is permanently deleted. ### Skill File Symlinks The uninstaller cleans up **skill files** located in agent-specific directories: - `~/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach` - `~/.claude/skills/agent-reach` - `~/.agents/skills/agent-reach` As implemented in lines 112-132 of [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py), these symlinks or directories—registered via [`agent_reach/skill/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/skill/SKILL.md)—are deleted unless running in dry-run mode. ### MCPorter Configuration Entries For users with **mcporter** installed, the uninstaller removes backend entries for Exa and Xiaohongshu from `mcporter`'s configuration (lines 135-148). The code checks for existing `mcporter` installations and surgically removes only the Agent Reach-related entries without affecting other MCPorter configurations. ### Summary Reporting and Manual Cleanup Finally, the uninstaller prints a summary report (lines 155-174) reminding you to manually remove the Python package and any globally installed helper tools like `mcporter`, `twitter-cli`, or `undici`. ## Complete Removal Commands To fully purge Agent Reach from your system after running the CLI uninstaller, execute the following commands to remove the Python package and optional global dependencies: ```bash # Remove the Python package itself pip uninstall agent-reach # Optional: Remove globally installed helper tools npm uninstall -g mcporter pipx uninstall twitter-cli npm uninstall -g undici ``` These commands are referenced in the README's "🗑️ 卸载" section (lines 49-66) and ensure no residual executables remain in your environment. ## Summary - **Use `agent-reach uninstall --keep-config`** to remove Agent Reach while preserving your `~/.agent-reach` configuration directory containing tokens and API keys - **The uninstaller** is implemented in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py) via the `_cmd_uninstall` function, which handles cleanup in four sequential steps - **Without flags**, the uninstaller removes configuration files, skill symlinks from `~/.openclaw/skills/` and similar directories, and `mcporter` backend entries - **Always run with `--dry-run`** first to preview destructive changes before applying them - **Follow up with `pip uninstall agent-reach`** to remove the Python package itself after CLI cleanup ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I completely remove Agent Reach including the Python package? First run `agent-reach uninstall` to clean up configuration and skill files, then execute `pip uninstall agent-reach` to remove the package from your Python environment. You may also need to manually remove global helper tools like `mcporter` or `twitter-cli` using npm or pipx. ### Will uninstalling Agent Reach delete my API keys and tokens? Only if you run the standard `agent-reach uninstall` command without the `--keep-config` flag. To preserve your credentials stored in `~/.agent-reach/config.yaml`, always include the `--keep-config` flag, which instructs the `_cmd_uninstall` function to skip the configuration directory deletion (lines 94-108 in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py)). ### What is the difference between --dry-run and --keep-config? The `--dry-run` flag simulates the uninstallation and prints what would be removed without actually deleting any files, allowing you to verify the scope of changes. The `--keep-config` flag performs a real uninstallation but specifically preserves the `~/.agent-reach` directory while removing skill files and MCPorter entries. These flags can be combined to preview a configuration-preserving uninstall. ### Where are the skill files located that get removed during uninstallation? The uninstaller targets skill directories under three agent-specific paths: `~/.openclaw/skills/agent-reach`, `~/.claude/skills/agent-reach`, and `~/.agents/skills/agent-reach`. These locations are cleaned up during lines 112-132 of the uninstallation process in [`agent_reach/cli.py`](https://github.com/Panniantong/Agent-Reach/blob/main/agent_reach/cli.py).