# Getting Your Cookie Value

Mousehole needs a cookie to authenticate with MAM's API. Here are steps for how
to get yours.

1. Go to the
   [MAM Security Settings page](https://www.myanonamouse.net/preferences/index.php?view=security).

   Here, you will see a section listing your existing sessions and a section to
   create a new session.

   ![Security Settings Page](/docs/images/security-settings-page.png)

2. Create a session.

   **Already have a session from the last time you did this?** You _can_ reuse
   it, but I recommend to just delete it with the "Remove Session" button and
   create a new one. This way, you can be certain that you've correctly
   configured the session and that the cookie generated is valid.

   In the "Create session" section at the bottom of the page, enter these
   values:

   ![Create Session Form](/docs/images/mam-session-form.png)

   | Field                                | What to Enter                                                                                                                   |
   | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | IP                                   | The IP address of the machine running Mousehole (**not** your browser's IP). Mousehole shows you the correct value on its page. |
   | IP vs ASN locked session             | Select **ASN**. This allows your IP to change.                                                                                  |
   | Allow Session to set Dynamic Seedbox | Select **Yes**. This allows the service to update your IP through MAM's API.                                                    |
   | Session Label/note                   | Text by which you can remember the session, such as "mousehole".                                                                |

   Then press the "Submit Changes!" button.

3. Copy the cookie value on the shown page.

   ![Session Cookie Value](/docs/images/mam-cookie.png)

   Aside: You _should not_ share this cookie with other clients (Prowlarr,
   Jackett, etc). MAM lets you create multiple sessions, so it comes for free
   that you can have one for each client that you use, each with narrow scope
   and a helpful label. Technically, you can share a cookie between clients if
   they are on the same IP/ASN, but this creates an organizational coupling that
   you don't need to carry.

4. Back in Mousehole, paste the cookie into the text box and click the "Set"
   button.

   ![Mousehole Set Button](/docs/images/cookie-form.png)

5. Et voilà! You should now see an OK status, and Mousehole will keep your IP
   updated with MAM automatically in the background. You don't need to do
   anything else! You can close the page.

   If you do not see an OK status, check out the
   [error documentation](/docs/mam-errors.md) for help with troubleshooting.