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

# Getting started

> Install Dash, launch Desktop, and deploy your first AI agent.

Get your first AI agent teammate up and running in minutes. No coding required.

## Prerequisites

* **Node.js 22+** — Dash uses ESM and modern language features requiring Node 22 or later
* **An LLM API key** — for example, sign up at [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com) for an Anthropic key

## Getting Your Anthropic API Key

Dash works with Claude from Anthropic out of the box. To use it, you need an Anthropic account and an API key.

**Step 1:** Go to [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com) and create an account.

**Step 2:** Once logged in, click **API Keys** in the left sidebar.

**Step 3:** Click **Create Key**, give it a name (e.g. "Dash"), and copy the key — it starts with `sk-ant-`.

<Note>
  **Keep your API key private.** Never share it or commit it to version control. Dash stores it encrypted on your machine.
</Note>

**Billing:** Anthropic charges per token used. Running agents occasionally costs a few cents per session. New accounts receive free credits to get started.

## Installation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone and install">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone <repo-url> Dash
    cd Dash
    npm install
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build all packages">
    ```bash theme={null}
    npm run build
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Launch Desktop

Desktop is the recommended way to manage your agents. It gives you a desktop app where you can deploy agents, chat with them, and connect them to messaging platforms.

```bash theme={null}
npm run mc:dev
```

The app opens automatically. On first launch, the setup wizard walks you through three quick steps.

## First-run setup wizard

<Steps>
  <Step title="HQ start">
    Desktop spawns the background HQ process automatically. You'll see a brief spinner while it comes up. The HQ's management and chat tokens are stored in the OS keychain (macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Manager / libsecret on Linux) — never in plaintext files.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a provider">
    Choose Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google. You can add more providers later from **Settings → AI Providers**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste your API key">
    Paste your API key. Desktop sends it directly to the HQ's encrypted credential store (AES-256-GCM, at `~/.dash/gateway/credentials.enc`). The key is masked in the input field.
  </Step>
</Steps>

When the wizard finishes, you're in Desktop proper.

## Deploy your first agent

Now that your provider is connected, you can deploy an agent.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Squad page">
    Click **Squad** in the sidebar, then click **Deploy**. This opens the deployment wizard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a name">
    Give your agent a descriptive name, like "assistant" or "code-reviewer".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a model">
    Pick the model your agent will use. If you are not sure, Claude Sonnet 4 is a great starting point — it balances speed and capability. The model dropdown is populated live from the provider's API, filtered through a curated allow-list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write a system prompt">
    Tell your agent who it is and how to behave. For example:

    ```
    You are a helpful assistant. You help with research, writing,
    and general tasks. Be concise but thorough.
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick tools">
    Select which tools your agent can use. A good starter set is **bash**, **read**, and **write**. See [Tools](/tools) for the full list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy">
    Click **Deploy**. The HQ creates the agent in-process with its own workspace at `~/.dash/workspaces/<agent-id>/`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Your agent appears in the agents list. Click it to check that the status shows "running".

## Chat with your agent

Open the **Chat** tab, start a new conversation, select your agent, and type a message. You will see the agent thinking, using tools, and responding in real time.

Your HQ keeps the canonical conversation history. When Desktop and Dash for iOS are
paired to the same HQ, both show the same conversations, titles, messages, running turns,
and deletions. Android remains a legacy, non-resumable client in this release, so its private chat
sessions do not join that shared list.

Conversations created by older Desktop versions remain available under **On this
Mac**. They stay on that computer and are not uploaded automatically. If the HQ is
offline, previously synced conversations remain readable from cache, but creating, sending,
renaming, and deleting wait until the HQ reconnects.

That is it — your first agent is deployed and ready to work.

## Connect a phone or tablet

In Desktop, open **Settings → Devices**. The **Pair Device** card links the Dash Android
app over your local network, or through [Remote Access](/remote-access) after you enable it —
scan the displayed QR code in the app.

Dash for iOS connects differently: enable [Remote Access](/remote-access), then open the app and
sign in with your Dash account to choose your HQ. The native iPhone and iPad client supports
shared, resumable history and agent administration — see [Dash for iPhone and iPad](/ios) for
sign-in, chat, agent-management, offline, and removal steps. The Android app continues to provide
its legacy private chat and monitoring experience until its separate conversation-sync migration.

## Other ways to run Dash

Desktop is the recommended approach, but you can also run the HQ on its own.

* **HQ standalone** — run the HQ headlessly (on a server or in Docker) and manage it through its Management API: `npm run gateway`

See [Configuration](/configuration#running-the-hq-standalone) for the available flags and the [Management API](/api-reference) for managing agents programmatically.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Squad" icon="robot" href="/agents">
    Learn how agents work and how to configure them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Deploy Your First Squad Member" icon="rocket" href="/deploy-your-first-agent">
    Detailed walkthrough of the deploy wizard.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Messaging Apps" icon="comments" href="/messaging-apps">
    Connect your agents to Telegram, WhatsApp, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>