Getting Started

Get up and running with DevOS in under 2 minutes. This guide covers installation, configuration, and your first AI-powered project.

Installation

DevOS requires Node.js 18 or later. Install it globally via npm:

npm install -g devos-ai

Verify the installation:

devos --version

Quick Start (30 Seconds)

# 1. Set up an AI provider (choose one)
devos config set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
# OR use Ollama for free local models:
devos model add ollama

# 2. Create a project
devos init "Express API with user authentication"

# 3. Run it (with auto-debugging)
devos run

# 4. Deploy it
devos deploy

Configuration

DevOS stores configuration in your home directory. Manage it with:

# Set a value
devos config set KEY=value

# View all config
devos config list

# Reset to defaults
devos config reset

API Keys

Configure AI providers by setting their API keys:

# OpenAI
devos config set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Anthropic
devos config set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Google (Gemini)
devos config set GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIza...

# OpenRouter (25+ models)
devos config set OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

# Ollama (local, no key needed)
devos model add ollama

Model Selection

# Use a specific model
devos model use gpt-4o

# Let DevOS choose the best model per task
devos model auto

# See all available models
devos model list

Your First Project

Let's build a blog with React and Tailwind CSS:

# Create the project
devos init "React blog with Tailwind CSS, dark mode, and markdown support"

# The AI will:
# ✓ Create folder structure
# ✓ Generate package.json
# ✓ Write React components
# ✓ Set up Tailwind CSS
# ✓ Install dependencies

Or use Goal Mode for the full autopilot experience:

# This single command will plan, code, test, debug, AND deploy
devos goal "Build a React blog with auth, markdown, and deploy to Vercel"

AI Provider Setup

OpenAI (Recommended for beginners)

  1. Get an API key from platform.openai.com
  2. Run: devos config set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key
  3. Select model: devos model use gpt-4o

Ollama (Free, Local)

  1. Install Ollama from ollama.com
  2. Pull a model: ollama pull llama3.3
  3. Enable in DevOS: devos model add ollama
  4. Select model: devos model use llama3.3
💡 Pro Tip Enable Smart Router to automatically select the best model for each task: devos model auto

Environment Variables

You can also set API keys as environment variables instead of using devos config:

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key
export GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIza-your-key

What's Next?