Multi-Factor Authentication¶

PACER supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) using time-based one-time passwords (TOTP). This library supports MFA by allowing you to provide a base32-encoded TOTP secret key when initializing the client.

Using MFA with PCLClient¶

To authenticate with MFA enabled, provide your TOTP secret to the client:

from pacersdk import PCLClient

client = PCLClient(
    username="your_username",
    password="your_password",
    secret="YOUR_BASE32_SECRET",  # TOTP secret from PACER
    environment="qa"
)

Notes:

The TOTP secret is optional and only required if MFA is enabled on your PACER account.
The client uses the secret to automatically generate a valid TOTP code for each login.
Each TOTP code is valid for about 30 seconds.

Managing Your MFA Secret¶

Warning

PACER allows up to five registered authenticator apps. To add a new one, you may need to delete an existing app.

To register a new TOTP secret with PACER:

Go to the appropriate PACER account management site:
- Production: https://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov
- QA/Test: https://qa-pacer.psc.uscourts.gov
Navigate to Settings > Manage MFA Settings.
If five apps are already registered, delete one to make space.
Click Add App to generate a new TOTP secret and QR code.
Scan the QR code or manually enter the secret into an authenticator app (e.g., Google Authenticator, Authy).
Complete setup by entering the current TOTP from your app.
Save the base32-encoded secret securely, and configure it in your environment:
```
PACER_MFA_SECRET=YOUR_NEW_SECRET
```
Re-run your client code to verify that authentication works with the new secret.

Note

The TOTP secret is effectively a password. Keep it private and secure. If it becomes compromised or inaccessible, you must delete the app and add a new one.