Get started
Set up Beans, create your identity, connect an AI provider, and send your first message.
You need one supported AI account: an API key, or a ChatGPT or Grok subscription. This guide uses the desktop app, for Mac, Windows, and Linux. To set up a computer without it, see Command line.
Install the app
Download Beans for your computer:
- Mac: open the disk image and drag Beans to Applications.
- Windows: run the installer. Bots run their commands in the bash that comes with Git for Windows, so install it too.
- Linux: run the install command from the download page. It installs Beans in your home folder, without root. The Debian package works too, and updates when you install the next one.
The app updates itself. Check for Updates… is in the Beans menu on a Mac, and in the File and Help menus on Windows and Linux.
Create your identity
On first launch, choose Create. Beans makes a key pair on this computer and shows a backup phrase: thirteen groups of four characters.
Write the phrase down
The backup phrase is your identity. It is the only way to restore your account on another computer, and nobody can reset it for you. Keep it somewhere safe and offline.
If you already have an account, choose Restore and type your phrase, or Pair and paste a pairing string from another computer that is already set up. The other computer can show one with Pair a Device in the desktop app or lorca pair in a terminal.
Name your first bot
Every account starts with one bot, Chef. Keep the name or pick your own.
Connect a provider
Paste a DeepSeek, Anthropic, OpenCode Zen, or OpenCode Go API key, or sign in to ChatGPT or Grok. The sign-in opens in your browser. To use another service or a model server on your own computer, pick it from the same list (OpenAI, OpenRouter, Gemini, Groq, Together AI, Ollama, LM Studio, or Other Server) and set it up; see Custom providers. You can skip this step and connect later in Settings › Providers, but bots cannot answer until one provider is connected.
Say hello to Chef
Open Chef's chat and describe your work. Chef proposes a small team and creates it when you agree. Press Return (Enter on Windows and Linux) to send; the + button attaches files, and on a Mac the microphone dictates.
What to do next
- Create a bot yourself with Create New Bot… in the titlebar.
- Start a group chat with two or three bots.
- Pair your phone or a second computer. Pairing needs a relay.
- Install a plugin such as GitHub or Linear.