Runtime Management Commands

Overview

The m87 runtime is a service that runs on edge devices to enable remote access from the m87 CLI. Runtime management commands allow you to install, configure, and control this service using systemd.

Runtime commands are only available on Linux systems. These commands manage the systemd service on edge devices, not on your local workstation.

Prerequisites

Linux system (amd64 or arm64)
systemd installed and running
sudo access (commands automatically use sudo when needed)

Runtime Commands Overview

Command	Description	Enables on Boot	Starts Service
`start`	Start service now	✓	✓
`stop`	Stop service now	No change	✗
`restart`	Restart service	No change	✓
`enable`	Enable auto-start on boot	✓	✗
`enable --now`	Enable and start	✓	✓
`disable`	Disable auto-start	✗	No change
`disable --now`	Disable and stop	✗	✗
`status`	Show service status	-	-

Syntax

m87 runtime login [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--org-id <ID>`	Register under specific organization ID
`--email <EMAIL>`	Register under user’s email address

You must specify either --org-id or --email, but not both.

Examples

# Register device under organization
m87 runtime login --org-id my-company

# Register device under user account
m87 runtime login --email user@example.com

Approval Process

Run m87 runtime login on the edge device
The device shows up as “pending” in your device list

From your workstation, approve the device:

m87 devices list
m87 devices approve <device-name>

The device is now accessible remotely

Runtime Logout

Remove runtime credentials from the device.

m87 runtime logout

This deregisters the device and removes local authentication tokens.

Start Runtime Service

Start the runtime service immediately and enable auto-start on boot.

Syntax

m87 runtime start [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--org-id <ID>`	Organization ID for registration
`--email <EMAIL>`	Email address for registration

Behavior

Installs systemd service file
Enables service to start on boot
Starts the service immediately
Registers device if not already registered

Examples

# Start runtime service
m87 runtime start

# Start and register under organization
m87 runtime start --org-id my-company

# Start and register under email
m87 runtime start --email user@example.com

Use m87 runtime start as the quickest way to set up a new device. It handles installation, registration, and startup in one command.

Stop Runtime Service

Stop the running service (keeps enabled at boot).

Syntax

m87 runtime stop

Behavior

Stops the currently running service
Service remains enabled to start on next boot
Device becomes unreachable until service is started again

Example

# Stop runtime service
m87 runtime stop

Stopping the runtime makes the device inaccessible remotely. You’ll need physical or local network access to start it again.

Restart Runtime Service

Restart the service (starts if stopped).

Syntax

m87 runtime restart [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--org-id <ID>`	Organization ID for registration
`--email <EMAIL>`	Email address for registration

Behavior

If running: restarts the service
If stopped: starts the service
Matches standard systemd restart behavior

Examples

# Restart runtime service
m87 runtime restart

# Update CLI and restart runtime
m87 update
m87 runtime restart

Remote Update and Restart

Update a remote device’s runtime:

# Update and restart remote device
m87 rpi exec -it -- 'm87 update && m87 runtime restart'

Enable Runtime Service

Configure service to auto-start on boot.

Syntax

m87 runtime enable [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--now`	Enable AND start service immediately
`--org-id <ID>`	Organization ID for registration
`--email <EMAIL>`	Email address for registration

Behavior

Without --now: Enables service for next boot (doesn’t start now)
With --now: Enables service AND starts it immediately

Examples

# Enable auto-start (doesn't start now)
m87 runtime enable

# Device will start runtime on next reboot

# Enable and start immediately
m87 runtime enable --now

# Equivalent to 'm87 runtime start'

Disable Runtime Service

Remove auto-start on boot.

Syntax

m87 runtime disable [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--now`	Disable AND stop service immediately

Behavior

Without --now: Disables auto-start (keeps running now)
With --now: Disables auto-start AND stops service immediately

Examples

# Disable auto-start (keeps running now)
m87 runtime disable

# Service runs until stopped or rebooted

# Disable and stop immediately
m87 runtime disable --now

# Service is stopped and won't start on boot

Runtime Status

Show local runtime service status.

Syntax

m87 runtime status

Example Output

m87 runtime status

● m87-runtime.service - m87 Runtime Service
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/m87-runtime.service; enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Mon 2026-03-01 10:23:45 UTC; 2 days ago
   Main PID: 1234 (m87)
      Tasks: 8 (limit: 4915)
     Memory: 24.5M
        CPU: 1min 32.456s
     CGroup: /system.slice/m87-runtime.service
             └─1234 /usr/local/bin/m87 runtime run

Runtime Run (Advanced)

Run the runtime daemon directly (used by systemd service).

Syntax

m87 runtime run [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
`--org-id <ID>`	Organization ID for registration
`--email <EMAIL>`	Email address for registration

Behavior

Runs in foreground (blocking)
Registers device if needed
Waits for approval if pending
Handles incoming connections

This command is typically only used by the systemd service. For normal operation, use m87 runtime start instead.

Example

# Run runtime in foreground (for testing)
m87 runtime run --email user@example.com

Complete Setup Workflow

On Edge Device

# One command to set up everything
m87 runtime start --email user@example.com

# Device is now:
# - Registered (pending approval)
# - Systemd service installed
# - Service enabled on boot
# - Service running

# 1. Login/register
m87 runtime login --email user@example.com

# 2. Install and start service
m87 runtime start

# 3. Check status
m87 runtime status

On Workstation

# 1. List devices (shows pending)
m87 devices list

# 2. Approve device
m87 devices approve my-edge-device

# 3. Access device
m87 my-edge-device shell

Service Management

The runtime service:

Runs as your user (not root)
Managed by systemd (start/stop/restart)
Auto-starts on boot (when enabled)
Handles privilege escalation with sudo when needed
Logs to journald (view with journalctl -u m87-runtime)

View Service Logs

# View recent logs
journalctl -u m87-runtime -n 50

# Follow logs in real-time
journalctl -u m87-runtime -f

# View logs from today
journalctl -u m87-runtime --since today

Troubleshooting

Service Won’t Start

# View detailed status
m87 runtime status

# View logs
journalctl -u m87-runtime -n 100

# Restart service
m87 runtime restart

# Re-login if credentials expired
m87 runtime logout
m87 runtime login --email user@example.com

# Check systemd service
systemctl status m87-runtime

Device Unreachable

# On the edge device, check if runtime is running
m87 runtime status

# If stopped, start it
m87 runtime start

# Check network connectivity
ping make87.com

# View runtime logs for errors
journalctl -u m87-runtime -f

Permission Errors

# Ensure user is in correct groups
groups

# Re-login to apply group changes
# (or reboot)

Command Behavior Summary

Start vs Enable

start: Enable on boot + start now
enable: Only enable on boot (doesn’t start now)
enable --now: Same as start

Stop vs Disable

stop: Stop now (keeps enabled on boot)
disable: Only disable on boot (keeps running now)
disable --now: Disable on boot + stop now

Restart

Restarts if running
Starts if stopped
Standard systemd behavior

Best Practices

Runtime management tips:

Always enable on boot - Use start or enable --now for production
Monitor logs - Check journalctl after startup for issues
Update regularly - Keep runtime updated with m87 update && m87 runtime restart
Use organizations - Register devices under org IDs for better fleet management
Document devices - Keep track of device names and registration details

Device Access - Access devices after runtime is running
Deployments - Deploy applications to runtime devices

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Runtime Commands Overview

​Runtime Login

​Syntax

​Options

​Examples

​Approval Process

​Runtime Logout

​Start Runtime Service

​Syntax

​Options

​Behavior

​Examples

​Stop Runtime Service

​Syntax

​Behavior

​Example

​Restart Runtime Service

​Syntax

​Options

​Behavior

​Examples

​Remote Update and Restart

​Enable Runtime Service

​Syntax

​Options

​Behavior

​Examples

​Disable Runtime Service

​Syntax

​Options

​Behavior

​Examples

​Runtime Status

​Syntax

​Example Output

​Runtime Run (Advanced)

​Syntax

​Options

​Behavior

​Example

​Complete Setup Workflow

​On Edge Device

​On Workstation

​Service Management

​The runtime service:

​View Service Logs

​Troubleshooting

​Service Won’t Start

​Device Unreachable

​Permission Errors

​Command Behavior Summary

​Start vs Enable

​Stop vs Disable

​Restart

​Best Practices

​Related Commands

Overview

Prerequisites

Runtime Commands Overview

Runtime Login

Syntax

Options

Examples

Approval Process

Runtime Logout

Start Runtime Service

Syntax

Options

Behavior

Examples

Stop Runtime Service

Syntax

Behavior

Example

Restart Runtime Service

Syntax

Options

Behavior

Examples

Remote Update and Restart

Enable Runtime Service

Syntax

Options

Behavior

Examples

Disable Runtime Service

Syntax

Options

Behavior

Examples

Runtime Status

Syntax

Example Output

Runtime Run (Advanced)

Syntax

Options

Behavior

Example

Complete Setup Workflow

On Edge Device

On Workstation

Service Management

The runtime service:

View Service Logs

Troubleshooting

Service Won’t Start

Device Unreachable

Permission Errors

Command Behavior Summary

Start vs Enable

Stop vs Disable

Restart

Best Practices

Related Commands