---
title: Configure AutoOps Elastic Agent with a custom SSL certificate
description: Elastic Agent might not recognize your SSL certificate if it is signed by a custom or internal Certificate Authority (CA). In this case, Elastic Agent...
url: https://www.elastic.co/docs/deploy-manage/monitor/autoops/autoops-sm-custom-certification
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise
  - Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes: Generally available
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise: Generally available
  - Self-managed Elastic deployments: Generally available
---

# Configure AutoOps Elastic Agent with a custom SSL certificate
Elastic Agent might not recognize your SSL certificate if it is signed by a custom or internal Certificate Authority (CA). In this case, Elastic Agent will fail to connect your ECE, ECK, or self-managed cluster to AutoOps and you might encounter an [error](/docs/deploy-manage/monitor/autoops/cc-cloud-connect-autoops-troubleshooting#potential-errors) like the following:
```sh
... x509: certificate signed by unknown authority ...
```

This error occurs because the machine where you have installed Elastic Agent does not trust your custom or internal CA. To fix this error, follow the steps on this page to configure the agent with your custom SSL certificate.

## Add custom certificate path to the `elastic-agent.yml` file

To configure Elastic Agent with your custom SSL certificate, add the path to your certificate to the [`elastic-agent.yml`](https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/fleet/configure-standalone-elastic-agents) policy file on the host machine where the agent is installed.
Complete the following steps:
1. On the host machine, open the `elastic-agent.yml` file. The default location is `/opt/Elastic/Agent/elastic-agent.yml`.
2. In the `elastic-agent.yml` file, locate the `receivers.metricbeatreceiver.metricbeat.modules` section.
3. In this section, there are two modules configured for `autoops_es`, one for metrics and one for templates. 

   Add the `ss.certificate_authorities` setting to both these modules using one of the following options:
   <tab-set>
   <tab-item title="Use environment variable (recommended)">
   We recommend using this method because it's flexible and keeps sensitive paths out of your main configuration.Add the following line to both `autoops_es` modules:
   ```yaml
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - ${env:AUTOOPS_CA_CERT}
   ```
   After adding this line to both modules, make sure the` AUTOOPS_CA_CERT` environment variable is set on the host machine and contains the full path to your certificate file (for example: `/etc/ssl/certs/my_internal_ca.crt`).The following code shows what your final configuration should look like when you use the environment variable method.
   ```yaml
   receivers:
   metricbeatreceiver:
   metricbeat:
   modules:
   # Metrics
   - module: autoops_es
   hosts: ${env:AUTOOPS_ES_URL}
   period: 10s
   metricsets:
   - cat_shards
   - cluster_health
   - cluster_settings
   - license
   - node_stats
   - tasks_management
   # --- ADD THIS LINE ---
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - ${env:AUTOOPS_CA_CERT}
   # Templates
   - module: autoops_es
   hosts: ${env:AUTOOPS_ES_URL}
   period: 24h
   metricsets:
   - cat_template
   - component_template
   - index_template
   # --- ADD THIS LINE ---
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - ${env:AUTOOPS_CA_CERT}
   ```
   </tab-item>

   <tab-item title="Hardcode file path">
   Use this method to specify the path directly. This method is often simpler for fixed or test environments.Edit the following line with the path to your CA and add it to both `autoops_es` modules:
   ```yaml
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - "/path/to/your/ca.crt"
   ```
   The following code shows what your final configuration should look like when you use the hardcode method.
   ```yaml
   receivers:
   metricbeatreceiver:
   metricbeat:
   modules:
   # Metrics
   - module: autoops_es
   hosts: ${env:AUTOOPS_ES_URL}
   period: 10s
   metricsets:
   - cat_shards
   - cluster_health
   - cluster_settings
   - license
   - node_stats
   - tasks_management
   # --- ADD THIS LINE ---
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - "/path/to/your/ca.crt"
   # Templates
   - module: autoops_es
   hosts: ${env:AUTOOPS_ES_URL}
   period: 24h
   metricsets:
   - cat_template
   - component_template
   - index_template
   # --- ADD THIS LINE ---
   ssl.certificate_authorities:
   - "/path/to/your/ca.crt"
   ```
   </tab-item>
   </tab-set>
4. Save your changes to the `elastic-agent.yml` file.
5. Restart Elastic Agent for the new settings to take effect.
6. Check the agent logs again to confirm that the error is gone and that Elastic Agent has successfully connected your cluster to AutoOps.
   <tip>
   If you encounter the following error in the agent logs, there might be a formatting issue in the `elastic-agent.yml` file.
   ```sh
   ... can not convert 'object' into 'string' ... ssl.certificate_authorities ...
   ```
   To fix this error, ensure your configuration is correctly formatted. The `ss.certificate_authorities` setting must be a list item (indicated by the `-`) containing one or more strings (the respective path to your certification files).
   </tip>