This guide takes you from a new machine to a working local Chorus installation. You need
[Node.js 22 or later](https://nodejs.org/) and npm.

## Install and start Chorus

Install the Chorus command globally:

```sh
npm install --global \
  @chorus-aidlc/chorus
```

Set your administrator account and start Chorus:

```sh
DEFAULT_USER=you@example.com \
DEFAULT_PASSWORD='choose-a-strong-password' \
chorus
```

Chorus creates its local database, applies any required migrations, and starts the web
application. Keep this terminal open while you use Chorus.

## Sign in

Open `http://localhost:8637` and sign in with the email and password you set above. Keep
those values out of shell history on shared machines. The built-in database is intended
for local, single-user use. For a shared installation, use an external PostgreSQL
database or the supported Docker deployment and manage credentials through the
deployment environment.

## Connect an agent

1. Open **Settings**.
2. Find **Setup Guide** and select **Open Setup Guide**.
3. Choose your agent platform.
4. Follow the displayed installation and connection steps.
5. Complete the guide's connection check.

The setup guide creates the required agent credential and gives you commands for the
platform you selected. Do not reuse commands from another platform.

Prefer the terminal? Install the CLI and run one command instead:

```sh
npm install --global @chorus-aidlc/chorus
chorus agents add
```

`chorus agents add` detects the agents you already have installed, installs each one's
Chorus plugin, and seeds the credential — see [The chorus CLI](/reference/cli/) and
[Connect an agent runtime](/guides/operator-onboarding/).

For the full picture of agent configuration — how to compare platforms, what the Chorus
plugin packages, and how to upgrade or uninstall it — see
[Agent platforms](/reference/agents/). For access keys, remote start, and keeping a runtime
online, see the other agent setup guides, starting with
[Prepare agent access](/guides/administrator-setup/).

Choose what you want to do next:

- **Use Chorus from the agent's terminal:** complete the platform page's check-in step.
  OpenCode, Pi, and generic MCP clients stop here; they do not appear as remotely
  available runtimes.
- **Start work remotely from Chorus:** use Claude Code, Codex, Kiro, or OpenClaw. For
  Claude Code, Codex, and Kiro, [connect the runtime](/guides/operator-onboarding/),
  [keep it online](/guides/daemon-operations/), and then
  [start your first session](/guides/remote-control/). OpenClaw stays online through its
  own gateway.

When another person manages the machine or credential, begin with
[Prepare agent access](/guides/administrator-setup/).

## Run your first idea

With Chorus running and an agent connected, put it to work. The fastest way to see the whole
loop is to run one small idea end to end:

1. [Create a project](/guides/create-a-project/) to hold the work.
2. [Capture an idea](/guides/capture-an-idea/) — something small and real, like *"add a
   README to this repo"* — and answer the agent's elaboration questions.
3. [Review the proposal](/guides/review-a-proposal/) the agent drafts, and approve it.
4. Let the agent [run the tasks](/guides/run-tasks/), then
   [verify and complete](/guides/verify-and-complete/) the result.

For the full picture of how a request travels from idea to done and where you make the
decisions, read [The AI-DLC workflow](/guides/ai-dlc-workflow/) — it links you into the
step-by-step guide for each stage.