> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://unkey.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# delete-identity

> Permanently delete an identity using the Unkey CLI. Remove the entity and unlink all associated API keys for cleanup or compliance purposes.

Permanently delete an identity. This operation cannot be undone.

Use this for data cleanup, compliance requirements, or when removing entities from your system.

**Important:**

* Associated API keys remain functional but lose shared resources
* External ID becomes available for reuse immediately

**Required permissions:**

* `identity.*.delete_identity` (to delete identities in any workspace)

<Note>
  See the [API reference](/api-reference/identities/delete-identity) for the full HTTP endpoint documentation.
</Note>

## Usage

```bash theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
unkey api identities delete-identity [flags]
```

## Flags

<ParamField body="--identity" type="string" required>
  The ID of the identity to delete. This can be either the external ID (from your own system that was used during identity creation) or the identity ID (the internal ID returned by the identity service).
</ParamField>

## Global Flags

| Flag         | Type   | Description                                              |
| ------------ | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--root-key` | string | Override root key (`$UNKEY_ROOT_KEY`)                    |
| `--api-url`  | string | Override API base URL (default: `https://api.unkey.com`) |
| `--config`   | string | Path to config file (default: `~/.unkey/config.toml`)    |
| `--output`   | string | Output format. Use `json` for raw JSON                   |

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Basic theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
  unkey api identities delete-identity --identity=user_123
  ```

  ```bash JSON output for scripting theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
  unkey api identities delete-identity --identity=user_123 --output=json
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Output

Default output shows the request ID with latency:

```text theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
req_01H9TQPP77V5E48E9SH0BG0ZQX (took 38ms)
```

With `--output=json`, the full response envelope is returned:

```json theme={"theme":"kanagawa-wave"}
{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_01H9TQPP77V5E48E9SH0BG0ZQX"
  }
}
```