FileMaker credentials

The filemaker command line is, in effect, a headless FileMaker client. It opens your file the way FileMaker Pro does, signs in with a FileMaker account, and works on the schema under that account's privileges. The account it uses is its own. It may be the same account you are signed in with in FileMaker Pro, or a different one.

The account must have Full Access

filemaker reads and edits native file structure: tables, fields, relationships, value lists, custom functions, scripts, layouts, and security. All of that work needs a [Full Access] account.

Full Access is required even for read-only commands and dry runs. The FileMaker engine opens the schema for modification whenever it is inspected, so a lesser privilege set is refused before the command does anything.

Two clients, two sets of credentials

ADT reaches a FileMaker file through two different clients, in two different processes, and each one signs in on its own.

Path	Who opens the file	Account and privileges
The filemaker command line	filemaker itself, as a separate client	The account stored for that file. Must be Full Access.
Agent Access in FileMaker Pro	FileMaker Pro, in the session you already have open	Whatever account FileMaker Pro is signed in with at the moment the request runs

With Agent Access on and the file granted, the agent can ask FileMaker Pro to run a script, execute SQL, serve Data API requests, read layout metadata, or deploy an app in your open file. That is how it tests a Web Viewer app or exercises script logic. All of it runs inside the FileMaker Pro process, under FileMaker Pro's current account and privilege set. The credentials filemaker uses are not involved, and filemaker is not involved either: it is a different client, and it may be signed in as a different account.

Note  Which account matters Schema work: the account filemaker signs in with, which must be Full Access. Anything done through Agent Access: the account you are signed in with in FileMaker Pro. If a script behaves differently for the agent than it does for you, check which of the two accounts was in play.

Local and hosted files

Because filemaker behaves like a client, it connects the same way one would. A file hosted on FileMaker Server, or shared from an open copy of FileMaker Pro, is reached over fmnet://. A closed local file is opened by its path.

An open local file that is not shared cannot be reached by a second client, including filemaker. Either close it or turn on sharing in FileMaker Pro. The Full Access rule applies to every connection type. See Local and hosted file access for the target formats.

Where the password is stored

adt.json may record an account name, but it never stores a password. Saved passwords live in the macOS keychain, keyed to the exact FileMaker target and account pair. ADT does not write them into project files, logs, prompts, or generated source.

When a password is missing or rejected, the FileMaker credential window asks you directly. The coding agent never sees it. If you choose to save the password, later filemaker commands read it from the keychain.

Change or remove a saved password

Ask your coding agent to update or forget the stored credential for the connected file. ADT opens a native credential prompt when it needs a new secret.

You can also remove the entry in Keychain Access by searching for the FileMaker file name and account. The next filemaker command that needs it prompts again.

Repeated rejected passwords can temporarily lock a FileMaker account. If FileMaker rejects the stored credential, confirm the account name and that it still has Full Access before trying again.