login always creates a new backup device; no way to re-use an existing device (regression vs 0.17.148769)

[benklop]

Summary

Starting with jotta-cli 0.17.158308, every jotta-cli login creates a new backup device. The interactive "re-use this device?" prompt that older builds offered appears to be gone, so there is no supported way to re-attach to an existing device of the same name (or by device SID).

The 0.17.158308 release notes document this as:

A new backup device is created for every new login session

(CLI release notes)

The Windows desktop app has a similar note (one device per login; logout+login creates a new device) in desktop release notes. Even if this is intentional for security/state fidelity, it is a regression for server / CasC / reinstall workflows that need to re-bind to an existing historical CLI keep device without orphaning it, and it may result in re-uploading a huge amount of data.

Versions

Version	Behavior
0.17.148769 (2025-10-29)	Last known good for device re-use / "re-use this device?" style flow
0.17.158308 (2026-02-10)	Release notes: new backup device every login; reuse prompt gone/broken
0.17.159692 (2026-02-25)	Confirmed same behavior in practice

Steps to reproduce

1. Install / upgrade to jotta-cli ≥ 0.17.158308 (e.g. 0.17.159692).
2. Ensure the account already has a historical CLI backup device named e.g. myserver with existing continuous-backup keep data.
3. On a host that previously used that device (or after a reinstall / logout):
   • jotta-cli logout (if logged in)
   • jotta-cli login
   • Accept license, paste a fresh Personal Login Token
   • When prompted for device name, enter the same name as the existing device (myserver)
4. Observe account device list in the web UI / JFS after login completes.

Expected

• Login offers to re-use the existing device of that name (or provides a documented flag / SID bind), so continuous backup continues against the historical CLI device and its keep paths.
• Noninteractive / expect-driven login can reliably re-attach without creating duplicates.

Actual

• A new backup device is always created (often as a WORKSTATION/desktop-type entry), e.g. myserver (2), while the historical CLI myserver with keep data remains a separate orphaned device.
• The old interactive "re-use this device?" prompt does not appear.
• Prompt text also changed in a way that breaks naive expect scripts that matched Devicename (newer builds prompt Device name […]).

Impact

• Duplicate devices accumulate on every logout/login or reinstall (hostname, hostname (2), …).
• Easy to accidentally upload to the wrong (empty/new) device while keep data stays on the historical CLI device.
• Breaks CasC / noninteractive re-login that previously answered the reuse prompt.
• On Personal Unlimited (and similar), orphan devices / re-scans waste quota/throttle budget and operator time.
• Even pinning 0.17.148769 is imperfect: login can still machine-match a newer orphan WORKSTATION device of a similar hostname rather than the intended historical CLI keep device, requiring a manual local DeviceRemoteID rewrite to the correct SID.

Workaround (for others hitting this)

1. Hold/pin jotta-cli=0.17.148769 (do not upgrade to ≥0.17.158308).
2. After login, if the session bound to the wrong device, stop jottad and rewrite local appdata DeviceRemoteID to the historical CLI device SID (placeholder: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx), then restart and verify with jotta-cli status / web UI that the intended device’s modified advances.
3. Leave orphan WORKSTATION duplicates until confirmed empty of unique data before pruning.

This is fragile and not a supported API — a first-class re-use / bind-by-SID path would remove the need for it.

Request

Please either:

1. Restore an explicit interactive (and ideally noninteractive) option to re-use an existing backup device of the same name / by device SID, or
2. Document a supported way to re-bind a host to an existing CLI device after logout/reinstall without creating a new device,

and clarify whether the 0.17.158308 note is meant to permanently remove reuse for CLI as well as desktop.

Environment

• OS: Linux (Proxmox / Debian package from https://repo.jotta.cloud/debian)
• Observed broken: 0.17.159692 (and release notes for 0.17.158308)
• Last known good: 0.17.148769

Happy to provide redacted login transcripts / expect scripts if useful.