> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.equa.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pairing

# Pairing

“Pairing” is Equabot’s explicit **owner approval** step.
It is used in two places:

1. **DM pairing** (who is allowed to talk to the bot)
2. **Node pairing** (which devices/nodes are allowed to join the gateway network)

Security context: [Security](/gateway/security)

## 1) DM pairing (inbound chat access)

When a channel is configured with DM policy `pairing`, unknown senders get a short code and their message is **not processed** until you approve.

Default DM policies are documented in: [Security](/gateway/security)

Pairing codes:

* 8 characters, uppercase, no ambiguous chars (`0O1I`).
* **Expire after 1 hour**. The bot only sends the pairing message when a new request is created (roughly once per hour per sender).
* Pending DM pairing requests are capped at **3 per channel** by default; additional requests are ignored until one expires or is approved.

### Approve a sender

```bash theme={null}
equabot pairing list telegram
equabot pairing approve telegram <CODE>
```

Supported channels: `telegram`, `whatsapp`, `signal`, `imessage`, `discord`, `slack`.

### Where the state lives

Stored under `~/.equabot/credentials/`:

* Pending requests: `<channel>-pairing.json`
* Approved allowlist store: `<channel>-allowFrom.json`

Treat these as sensitive (they gate access to your assistant).

## 2) Node device pairing (iOS/Android/macOS/headless nodes)

Nodes connect to the Gateway as **devices** with `role: node`. The Gateway
creates a device pairing request that must be approved.

### Approve a node device

```bash theme={null}
equabot devices list
equabot devices approve <requestId>
equabot devices reject <requestId>
```

### Where the state lives

Stored under `~/.equabot/devices/`:

* `pending.json` (short-lived; pending requests expire)
* `paired.json` (paired devices + tokens)

### Notes

* The legacy `node.pair.*` API (CLI: `equabot nodes pending/approve`) is a
  separate gateway-owned pairing store. WS nodes still require device pairing.

## Related docs

* Security model + prompt injection: [Security](/gateway/security)
* Updating safely (run doctor): [Updating](/install/updating)
* Channel configs:
  * Telegram: [Telegram](/channels/telegram)
  * WhatsApp: [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp)
  * Signal: [Signal](/channels/signal)
  * iMessage: [iMessage](/channels/imessage)
  * Discord: [Discord](/channels/discord)
  * Slack: [Slack](/channels/slack)