Get started

This guide takes you from a new machine to a working local Chorus installation. You need Node.js 22 or later and npm.

Install and start Chorus

Install the Chorus command globally:

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

Set your administrator account and start Chorus:

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.

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, and the rest of the Set up agents guides for access keys, remote start, and keeping a runtime online.

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, keep it online, and then start your first session. OpenClaw stays online through its own gateway.

When another person manages the machine or credential, begin with Prepare agent access.

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 to hold the work.
2. 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 the agent drafts, and approve it.
4. Let the agent run the tasks, then 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 — it links you into the step-by-step guide for each stage.