diff --git a/docs/DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md b/docs/DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md
index 0e9f5aa..0dfb810 100644
--- a/docs/DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/DEVELOPER-GUIDE.md
@@ -1469,6 +1469,12 @@ ArgoCD will sync the Keycloak config, and the registrar CronJob will pick up the
 | `k8s.secret.client-id-key` | No | `client-id` | Field name for the client ID in the K8s Secret |
 | `k8s.secret.client-secret-key` | No | `client-secret` | Field name for the client secret in the K8s Secret |
 
+#### Public CLI Client (Device-Code Login)
+
+`forte-cli` is a shared **public** client (no secret) with the RFC 8628 device-authorization grant enabled (`oauth2.device.authorization.grant.enabled: "true"`, `standardFlowEnabled: false`, `directAccessGrantsEnabled: false`). Downloaded skills and CLI tools that log in through the Auth Sidecar (forte-drop first) use it with `<PREFIX>_CLIENT_ID=forte-cli`; nothing per-tool needs to be registered in Keycloak.
+
+It must be defined in `forte-realm.json` (this legacy path): the self-service registrar hardcodes `publicClient: false` / `standardFlowEnabled: true` and drops `attributes`, so a `client-config` Secret cannot produce a public device-code client. It carries no `k8s.secret.sync` attribute (the registrar's secret sync skips it) and is listed in the cleanup CronJob's protected clients.
+
 ### Retrieving Secrets for External Deployments
 
 The registrar always writes a **central copy** of every synced secret to the `secrets` namespace, in addition to the target namespace. This allows operators to retrieve client credentials for applications deployed outside this cluster:
diff --git a/infra/values/base/keycloak-values.yaml b/infra/values/base/keycloak-values.yaml
index 2e838a6..59a94ea 100644
--- a/infra/values/base/keycloak-values.yaml
+++ b/infra/values/base/keycloak-values.yaml
@@ -186,6 +186,21 @@ keycloakConfigCli:
                 }
               }
             ]
+          },
+          {
+            "clientId": "forte-cli",
+            "name": "Forte CLI",
+            "description": "Shared public client for RFC 8628 device-code login from downloaded skills/CLI tools (forte-drop first) against services behind Auth Sidecar. No client secret.",
+            "enabled": true,
+            "protocol": "openid-connect",
+            "standardFlowEnabled": false,
+            "directAccessGrantsEnabled": false,
+            "publicClient": true,
+            "redirectUris": [],
+            "webOrigins": [],
+            "attributes": {
+              "oauth2.device.authorization.grant.enabled": "true"
+            }
           }
         ],
         "browserFlow": "browser-auto-idp",
@@ -671,7 +686,7 @@ extraDeploy:
                 MIN_AGE_SEC=$((MIN_AGE_DAYS * 86400))
 
                 # Hardcoded protected clients (never delete these)
-                PROTECTED_JSON='["gitea","grafana","argocd","vaultwarden","account","account-console","admin-cli","broker","realm-management","security-admin-console"]'
+                PROTECTED_JSON='["gitea","grafana","argocd","forte-cli","vaultwarden","account","account-console","admin-cli","broker","realm-management","security-admin-console"]'
 
                 echo "Fetching clients from realm '${REALM}'..."
                 CLIENTS=$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \