---
title: "Start account recovery with secondary identity"
method: POST
path: "/v1/auth/recover/start"
tags: ["auth"]
---

# Start account recovery with secondary identity

`POST /v1/auth/recover/start`

Start the account recovery flow using a secondary verified identity.

If you've lost access to your primary identity (e.g., lost email access),
you can recover your account using any other verified identity linked to it.

**Requirements:**
- The identifier must be a secondary (non-primary) verified identity
- Cannot recover using a handle

**Flow:**
1. Provide a secondary identity (email, phone, or wallet address)
2. Receive auth method details
3. For email/SMS: Complete CDP OTP verification
4. For wallet: Sign the challenge message
5. Call `/auth/recover/complete` with the credential

**Note:** Recovery issues a JWT with the original primary identity subject.
The primary identity remains unchanged.

## Request body

- RecoveryStartRequest — Request model for starting account recovery.
  - `identifier` string, required — Secondary identity to recover with (email, phone, or wallet address)

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- RecoveryStartResponse — Response model for recovery start.
  - `recovery_token` string, required — Signed session token (use in recovery/complete). Contains all session state - no server storage required.
  - `identity_type` string, required — Identity type being used for recovery
  - `identity_value` string, required — Masked identity value
  - `auth_method` string, required — Authentication method: 'cdp_otp' or 'signature'
  - `challenge_message` string, nullable — Challenge message to sign (for wallet recovery)

## Other responses

- `400` — Recovery not allowed (e.g., using primary identity)
- `404` — Identity not found
- `422` — Validation Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.net/grove/apis/grove-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.net/grove/apis/grove-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-staging.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/grove/grove-api/versions/f286b48a8105/schema)