diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index de3dc08..b4b893d 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ RoxygenNote: 7.2.1
 Depends:
     R (>= 3.6)
 Imports: 
+    clipr,
     dplyr,
     httr,
     tibble
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 15ec241..a20b871 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 S3method(print,rtoot_bearer)
 S3method(print,rtoot_client)
 export(auth_setup)
+export(convert_token_to_envvar)
 export(get_account)
 export(get_account_blocks)
 export(get_account_bookmarks)
@@ -34,3 +35,4 @@ export(post_toot)
 export(post_user)
 export(search_accounts)
 export(verify_credentials)
+export(verify_envvar)
diff --git a/R/auth.R b/R/auth.R
index 797e277..bc9a194 100644
--- a/R/auth.R
+++ b/R/auth.R
@@ -7,15 +7,20 @@
 #' @param name give the token a name, in case you want to store more than one.
 #' @param path path to store the token in. The default is to store tokens in the
 #'   path returned by `tools::R_user_dir("rtoot", "config")`.
-#'
+#' @param clipboard logical, whether to export the token to the clipboard
 #' @details If either `name` or `path` are set to `FALSE`, the token is only
-#'   returned and not saved.
-#'
+#'   returned and not saved. If you would like to save your token as an environment variable,
+#'   please set `clipboard` to `TRUE`. Your token will be copied to clipboard in the environment variable
+#'   format. Please paste it into your environment file, e.g. ".Renviron", and restart
+#'   your R session.
 #' @return A bearer token
+#' @seealso [verify_credentials()], [convert_token_to_envvar()]
 #' @examples
+#' \dontrun{
 #' auth_setup("mastodon.social", "public")
+#' }
 #' @export
-auth_setup <- function(instance = NULL, type = NULL, name = NULL, path = NULL) {
+auth_setup <- function(instance = NULL, type = NULL, name = NULL, path = NULL, clipboard = FALSE) {
   while (is.null(instance) || instance == "") {
     instance <- readline(prompt = "On which instance do you want to authenticate (e.g., \"mastodon.social\")? ")
   }
@@ -24,10 +29,17 @@ auth_setup <- function(instance = NULL, type = NULL, name = NULL, path = NULL) {
     type <- c("public", "user")[utils::menu(c("public", "user"), title = "What type of token do you want?")]
   }
   token <- create_token(client, type = type)
-  if (!isFALSE(name) && !isFALSE(path)) token_path <- save_auth_rtoot(token, name, path)
+  if (!isFALSE(name) && !isFALSE(path)) {
+    token_path <- save_auth_rtoot(token, name, path)
+  }
   options("rtoot_token" = token_path)
   verify_credentials(token) # this should be further up before saving, but seems to often fail
-  check_token_rtoot(token)
+  if (clipboard) {
+    convert_token_to_envvar(token)
+    return(invisible(token))
+  } else {
+    check_token_rtoot(token)
+  }
 }
 
 ## login described at https://docs.joinmastodon.org/client/authorized/
@@ -100,11 +112,11 @@ create_token <- function(client, type = "public"){
   bearer
 }
 
-
-#' verify mastodon credentials
+#' Verify mastodon credentials
 #'
 #' @param token bearer token, either public or user level
 #' @return success or failure message of the verification process
+#' @details If you have created your token as an environment variable, use `verify_envvar` to verify your token.
 #' @examples
 #' \dontrun{
 #' #read a token from a file
@@ -139,6 +151,13 @@ verify_credentials <- function(token) {
   invisible(acc)
 }
 
+#' @export
+#' @rdname verify_credentials
+verify_envvar <- function() {
+  token <- get_token_from_envvar()
+  verify_credentials(token)
+}
+
 #' save a bearer token to file
 #'
 #' @param token bearer token created with [create_token]
@@ -171,15 +190,77 @@ get_auth_rtoot <- function(){
 
 is_auth_rtoot <- function(token) inherits(token, "rtoot_bearer")
 
+#' Convert token to environment variable
+#' @inheritParams verify_credentials
+#' @param message logical whether to display message
+#' @inheritParams auth_setup
+#' @return Token (in environment variable format), invisibily
+#' @examples
+#' \dontrun{
+#' x <- auth_setup("mastodon.social", "public")
+#' envvar <- convert_token_to_envvar(x)
+#' envvar
+#' }
+#' @export
+convert_token_to_envvar <- function(token, message = TRUE, clipboard = TRUE) {
+  envvar_string <- paste0("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN=\"", token$bearer, ";", token$type, ";", token$instance, "\"")
+  if (isTRUE(clipboard)) {
+    if (clipr::clipr_available()) {
+      clipr::write_clip(envvar_string)
+      if (message) {
+        message("Token (in environment variable format) has been copied to clipboard.")
+      }
+    } else {
+      if (message) {
+        message("Clipboard is not available.")
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return(invisible(envvar_string))
+}
+
+get_token_from_envvar <- function(envvar = "RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = TRUE) {
+  dummy <- list(bearer = "")
+  dummy$type <- ""
+  dummy$instance <- ""
+  class(dummy) <- "rtoot_bearer"
+  if (Sys.getenv(envvar) == "") {
+    if (check_stop) {
+      stop("envvar not found.")
+    } else {
+      ## warn the testers
+      message("You should do software testing with the `RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN` envvar!\nRead: https://github.com/schochastics/rtoot/wiki/vcr")
+      return(dummy)
+    }
+  }
+  res <- strsplit(x = Sys.getenv(envvar), split = ";")[[1]]
+  if (length(res) != 3) {
+    if (check_stop) {
+      stop("Your envvar is malformed")
+    } else {
+      return(NULL)
+    }
+  }
+  bearer <- list(bearer = res[1])
+  bearer$type <- res[2]
+  bearer$instance <- res[3]
+  class(bearer) <- "rtoot_bearer"
+  bearer
+}
+
 # check if a token is available and return one if not
+## it checks the envvar RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN first; then RDS;
 check_token_rtoot <- function(token = NULL) {
-
   selection <- NULL
-
   if(is.null(token)){
-
+    if (Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN") != "") {
+      token <- get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
+      if (!is.null(token)) {
+        return(token)
+      }
+      ## the envvar is malformed, go to the legacy RDS method.
+    }
     token_path <- options("rtoot_token")$rtoot_token
-
     if (length(token_path) == 0) {
       token_path <- utils::head(list.files(tools::R_user_dir("rtoot", "config"),
                                     full.names = TRUE,
@@ -216,6 +297,5 @@ check_token_rtoot <- function(token = NULL) {
       selection <- 2L
     }
   }
-
   invisible(token)
 }
diff --git a/man/auth_setup.Rd b/man/auth_setup.Rd
index bdae43d..d54b671 100644
--- a/man/auth_setup.Rd
+++ b/man/auth_setup.Rd
@@ -4,7 +4,13 @@
 \alias{auth_setup}
 \title{Authenticate with a Mastodon instance}
 \usage{
-auth_setup(instance = NULL, type = NULL, name = NULL, path = NULL)
+auth_setup(
+  instance = NULL,
+  type = NULL,
+  name = NULL,
+  path = NULL,
+  clipboard = FALSE
+)
 }
 \arguments{
 \item{instance}{a public instance of Mastodon (e.g., mastodon.social).}
@@ -17,6 +23,8 @@ query your followers).}
 
 \item{path}{path to store the token in. The default is to store tokens in the
 path returned by \code{tools::R_user_dir("rtoot", "config")}.}
+
+\item{clipboard}{logical, whether to export the token to the clipboard}
 }
 \value{
 A bearer token
@@ -26,8 +34,16 @@ Authenticate with a Mastodon instance
 }
 \details{
 If either \code{name} or \code{path} are set to \code{FALSE}, the token is only
-returned and not saved.
+returned and not saved. If you would like to save your token as an environment variable,
+please set \code{clipboard} to \code{TRUE}. Your token will be copied to clipboard in the environment variable
+format. Please paste it into your environment file, e.g. ".Renviron", and restart
+your R session.
 }
 \examples{
+\dontrun{
 auth_setup("mastodon.social", "public")
 }
+}
+\seealso{
+\code{\link[=verify_credentials]{verify_credentials()}}, \code{\link[=convert_token_to_envvar]{convert_token_to_envvar()}}
+}
diff --git a/man/convert_token_to_envvar.Rd b/man/convert_token_to_envvar.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52df06b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/convert_token_to_envvar.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/auth.R
+\name{convert_token_to_envvar}
+\alias{convert_token_to_envvar}
+\title{Convert token to environment variable}
+\usage{
+convert_token_to_envvar(token, message = TRUE, clipboard = TRUE)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{token}{bearer token, either public or user level}
+
+\item{message}{logical whether to display message}
+
+\item{clipboard}{logical, whether to export the token to the clipboard}
+}
+\value{
+Token (in environment variable format), invisibily
+}
+\description{
+Convert token to environment variable
+}
+\examples{
+\dontrun{
+x <- auth_setup("mastodon.social", "public")
+envvar <- convert_token_to_envvar(x)
+envvar
+}
+}
diff --git a/man/verify_credentials.Rd b/man/verify_credentials.Rd
index 6547299..e00921c 100644
--- a/man/verify_credentials.Rd
+++ b/man/verify_credentials.Rd
@@ -2,9 +2,12 @@
 % Please edit documentation in R/auth.R
 \name{verify_credentials}
 \alias{verify_credentials}
-\title{verify mastodon credentials}
+\alias{verify_envvar}
+\title{Verify mastodon credentials}
 \usage{
 verify_credentials(token)
+
+verify_envvar()
 }
 \arguments{
 \item{token}{bearer token, either public or user level}
@@ -13,7 +16,10 @@ verify_credentials(token)
 success or failure message of the verification process
 }
 \description{
-verify mastodon credentials
+Verify mastodon credentials
+}
+\details{
+If you have created your token as an environment variable, use \code{verify_envvar} to verify your token.
 }
 \examples{
 \dontrun{
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/envvar.yml b/tests/fixtures/envvar.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e7f47a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/envvar.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+http_interactions:
+- request:
+    method: get
+    uri: https://emacs.ch/api/v1/accounts/verify_credentials
+    body:
+      encoding: ''
+      string: ''
+    headers:
+      Accept: application/json, text/xml, application/xml, */*
+      Authorization: Bearer <<<MASTODON TOKEN>>>
+  response:
+    status:
+      status_code: 200
+      category: Success
+      reason: OK
+      message: 'Success: (200) OK'
+    headers:
+      cache-control: no-store
+      content-encoding: gzip
+      content-security-policy: 'base-uri ''none''; default-src ''none''; frame-ancestors
+        ''none''; font-src ''self'' https://emacs.ch; img-src ''self'' https: data:
+        blob: https://emacs.ch; style-src ''self'' https://emacs.ch ''nonce-7MquUyr6YSyn1MSrGbaIUw=='';
+        media-src ''self'' https: data: https://emacs.ch; frame-src ''self'' https:;
+        manifest-src ''self'' https://emacs.ch; connect-src ''self'' data: blob: https://emacs.ch
+        https://emacs.ch wss://emacs.ch; script-src ''self'' https://emacs.ch ''unsafe-eval'';
+        child-src ''self'' blob: https://emacs.ch; worker-src ''self'' blob: https://emacs.ch'
+      content-type: application/json; charset=utf-8
+      date: Tue, 15 Nov 2022 09:37:12 GMT
+      etag: W/"7f9afc2bc6267d16af26b905bf2789e9"
+      permissions-policy: interest-cohort=()
+      server: Mastodon
+      strict-transport-security: max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains
+      vary:
+      - Accept-Encoding
+      - Origin
+      x-cached: MISS
+      x-content-type-options: nosniff
+      x-frame-options: DENY
+      x-ratelimit-limit: '300'
+      x-ratelimit-remaining: '299'
+      x-ratelimit-reset: '2022-11-15T09:40:00.497295Z'
+      x-request-id: ccba4244-aae0-4d53-b1f3-9d9279c40f55
+      x-runtime: '0.018026'
+      x-xss-protection: '0'
+    body:
+      encoding: ''
+      file: no
+      string: '{"id":"109337011845249544","username":"chainsawriot","acct":"chainsawriot","display_name":"chainsawriot","locked":false,"bot":false,"discoverable":false,"group":false,"created_at":"2022-11-13T00:00:00.000Z","note":"","url":"https://emacs.ch/@chainsawriot","avatar":"https://emacs.ch/system/accounts/avatars/109/337/011/845/249/544/original/00fc3aabc87d3564.jpg","avatar_static":"https://emacs.ch/system/accounts/avatars/109/337/011/845/249/544/original/00fc3aabc87d3564.jpg","header":"https://emacs.ch/headers/original/missing.png","header_static":"https://emacs.ch/headers/original/missing.png","followers_count":125,"following_count":62,"statuses_count":21,"last_status_at":"2022-11-14","noindex":true,"source":{"privacy":"public","sensitive":false,"language":"","note":"","fields":[{"name":"Stack","value":":emacs:,
+        R, stumpwm, linux, firefox","verified_at":null},{"name":"Research Interests","value":"Keine
+        Ahnung","verified_at":null},{"name":"Web","value":"https://chainsawriot.com/about/","verified_at":"2022-11-14T12:22:07.327+00:00"}],"follow_requests_count":0},"emojis":[{"shortcode":"emacs","url":"https://emacs.ch/system/custom_emojis/images/000/000/358/original/9f320443168e793f.png","static_url":"https://emacs.ch/system/custom_emojis/images/000/000/358/static/9f320443168e793f.png","visible_in_picker":true}],"fields":[{"name":"Stack","value":":emacs:,
+        R, stumpwm, linux, firefox","verified_at":null},{"name":"Research Interests","value":"Keine
+        Ahnung","verified_at":null},{"name":"Web","value":"\u003ca href=\"https://chainsawriot.com/about/\"
+        target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer me\"\u003e\u003cspan
+        class=\"invisible\"\u003ehttps://\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003echainsawriot.com/about/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan
+        class=\"invisible\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e","verified_at":"2022-11-14T12:22:07.327+00:00"}],"role":{"id":"-99","name":"","permissions":"65536","color":"","highlighted":false}}'
+  recorded_at: 2022-11-15 09:37:12 GMT
+  recorded_with: vcr/1.1.0, webmockr/0.8.2
diff --git a/tests/testthat/setup-rtoot.R b/tests/testthat/setup-rtoot.R
index dcf79b7..dd87de5 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/setup-rtoot.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/setup-rtoot.R
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 library("vcr") # *Required* as vcr is set up on loading
 invisible(
   vcr::vcr_configure(
-         filter_sensitive_data = list("<<<MASTODON TOKEN>>>" = Sys.getenv('RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN')),
+         filter_sensitive_data = list("<<<MASTODON TOKEN>>>" = get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)$bearer),
          dir = vcr::vcr_test_path("fixtures")
        ))
 vcr::check_cassette_names()
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-auth_envvar.R b/tests/testthat/test-auth_envvar.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0683bb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-auth_envvar.R
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+original_envvar <- Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN")
+
+test_that("convert_token_to_envvar", {
+  fake_token <- list(bearer = paste0(rep("a", 43), collapse = ""))
+  fake_token$type <- "user"
+  fake_token$instance <- paste0(rep("b", 10), collapse = "")
+  class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
+  x <- convert_token_to_envvar(fake_token, message = FALSE, clipboard = FALSE)
+  expected_output <- paste0("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN=\"",
+                            paste0(rep("a", 43), collapse = ""),
+                            ";user;",
+                            paste0(rep("b", 10), collapse = ""), "\"")
+  expect_equal(x, expected_output)
+})
+
+test_that("convert_token_to_envvar (clipboard)", {
+  skip_if_not(clipr::clipr_available())
+  fake_token <- list(bearer = paste0(rep("a", 43), collapse = ""))
+  fake_token$type <- "user"
+  fake_token$instance <- paste0(rep("b", 10), collapse = "")
+  class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
+  expected_output <- paste0("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN=\"",
+                            paste0(rep("a", 43), collapse = ""),
+                            ";user;",
+                            paste0(rep("b", 10), collapse = ""), "\"")  
+  expect_message(convert_token_to_envvar(fake_token, message = TRUE, clipboard = TRUE))
+  x <- convert_token_to_envvar(fake_token, message = FALSE, clipboard = TRUE)
+  clipboard_content <- clipr::read_clip()
+  expect_equal(clipr::read_clip(), expected_output)
+  expect_equal(x, expected_output)
+})
+
+test_that("get_token_from_envvar", {
+  ## NB: This is not an exported function
+  skip_if(Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN") == "")
+  x <- get_token_from_envvar()
+  expect_true("rtoot_bearer" %in% class(x))
+  ## temper the envvar
+  Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = "")
+  expect_error(x <- get_token_from_envvar())
+  expect_message(x <- get_token_from_envvar(check_stop = FALSE))
+  ## should still return a dummy token
+  expect_true("rtoot_bearer" %in% class(x))
+  expect_equal(x$bearer, "")
+  ## malformed
+  Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = "elonmusk")
+  expect_error(x <- get_token_from_envvar(check_stop = TRUE))
+  x <- get_token_from_envvar(check_stop = FALSE)
+  expect_null(x)
+  expect_false("rtoot_bearer" %in% class(x))
+})
+
+Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = original_envvar)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-auth_verify.R b/tests/testthat/test-auth_verify.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0c14df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-auth_verify.R
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+original_envvar <- Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN")
+Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = "abc;user;emacs.ch")
+
+test_that("verify_envvar (Good case)", {
+  vcr::use_cassette("envvar", {
+    expect_error(capture_message(verify_envvar()), NA)
+  })
+})
+
+test_that("verify_envvar (Bad case)", {
+  Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = "")
+  expect_error(verify_envvar())
+})
+
+Sys.setenv(RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN = original_envvar)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_account.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_account.R
index 8fd6675..ab7fdbf 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_account.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_account.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_account", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_account_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_account_auth.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_account_auth.R
index 4c4c464..75e9da2 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_account_auth.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_account_auth.R
@@ -4,10 +4,9 @@
 ## get_account_favourites, get_account_blocks,
 ## get_account_mutes
 
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 id <- "109281650341067731"
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_account_statuses.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_account_statuses.R
index c36babd..c7e2978 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_account_statuses.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_account_statuses.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_account_statuses", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_account_statuses_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_context.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_context.R
index de180e2..0dde50d 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_context.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_context.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_context", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_context_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_favourited_by.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_favourited_by.R
index da76682..ce40867 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_favourited_by.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_favourited_by.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_favourited_by", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_favourited_by_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_poll.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_poll.R
index d11e07d..bbccdd0 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_poll.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_poll.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_poll", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_poll_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_reblogged_by.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_reblogged_by.R
index f8e8d2d..35e04a2 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_reblogged_by.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_reblogged_by.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_reblogged_by", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_reblogged_by_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_status.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_status.R
index a4faa65..69b5c90 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_status.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_status.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_status", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_status_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_hashtag.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_hashtag.R
index bbffac5..98870bd 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_hashtag.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_hashtag.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_timeline_hashtag", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_timeline_hashtag_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_home.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_home.R
index ab1d071..0287684 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_home.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_home.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_timeline_home", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_timeline_home_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_list.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_list.R
index f4ebee0..7bb600b 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_list.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_list.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_timeline_list", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_timeline_list_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_public.R b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_public.R
index 50575af..bc6196b 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_public.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-get_timeline_public.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_timeline_public", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_timeline_public_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-instances.R b/tests/testthat/test-instances.R
index cfc66c8..b5a55ed 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-instances.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-instances.R
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 ## tests for all instance functions
-
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("get_fedi_instances", {
   vcr::use_cassette("get_fedi_instances_default", {
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-post.R b/tests/testthat/test-post.R
index 00f96e7..a9e398f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-post.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-post.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("post_toot, defensive", {
   expect_error(post_toot(status = NA, token = fake_token))
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-search_accounts.R b/tests/testthat/test-search_accounts.R
index 3ab2095..2a62e0f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-search_accounts.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-search_accounts.R
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-fake_token <- list(bearer = Sys.getenv("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN"))
+fake_token <- rtoot:::get_token_from_envvar("RTOOT_DEFAULT_TOKEN", check_stop = FALSE)
 fake_token$type <- "user"
 fake_token$instance <- "social.tchncs.de"
-class(fake_token) <- "rtoot_bearer"
 
 test_that("search_accounts", {
   vcr::use_cassette("search_accounts_default", {
diff --git a/vignettes/auth.Rmd b/vignettes/auth.Rmd
index 07e20cb..926efb1 100644
--- a/vignettes/auth.Rmd
+++ b/vignettes/auth.Rmd
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ knitr::opts_chunk$set(
 )
 ```
 
+# Obtain and use a token
+
 When a function in `rtoot` can't find a valid token on your computer, it automatically starts authentication.
 If you want to start the process manually, you can do so by calling:
 
@@ -46,3 +48,20 @@ Or you can set the default token in the options at the start of a session:
 ```{r options, eval=FALSE}
 options("rtoot_token" = file.path(tools::R_user_dir("rtoot", "config"), "account1.rds"))
 ```
+
+# Environment variable
+
+For advanced users, you can also store your token as an environment variable (envvar). You can either obtain a token by calling
+
+```{r clipboard, eval = FALSE}
+auth_setup(clipboard = TRUE)
+```
+
+Or, if you already have a token
+
+```{r convert, eval = FALSE}
+token <- readRDS(file.path(tools::R_user_dir("rtoot", "config"), "account1.rds"))
+content <- convert_token_to_envvar(token)
+```
+
+Paste the content from clipboard to your configuration file. If you don't have access to clipboard, inspect `content`.