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Quick Start

Get from zero to a working Missy instance in under two minutes.

1. Install

git clone https://github.com/MissyLabs/missy.git
cd missy
pip install -e .

2. Run the setup wizard

missy setup

The wizard walks you through five steps:

  1. Workspace directory -- where Missy reads and writes files (default: ~/workspace)
  2. Provider selection -- choose Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, or a combination
  3. API key entry -- paste your key or let Missy detect it from the environment
  4. Model tiers -- pick primary, fast, and premium models
  5. Write config -- review and confirm

Have your API key ready

For Anthropic, get a key from console.anthropic.com/settings/keys. For OpenAI, visit platform.openai.com/api-keys.

The wizard writes ~/.missy/config.yaml with secure defaults: network deny-all, no shell access, no plugins. Only the provider host you selected is allowed through.

3. Ask your first question

missy ask "What can you help me with?"

Expected output:

╭─ Missy ──────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ I can help you with a wide range of tasks:               │
│                                                          │
│ • Answer questions and explain concepts                  │
│ • Read and analyze files in your workspace               │
│ • Search your codebase                                   │
│ • Schedule recurring tasks                               │
│ • Manage secrets in an encrypted vault                   │
│ • ...and more, depending on which capabilities you       │
│   enable in your config.                                 │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

4. Start an interactive session

missy run

This opens a REPL where you can have a multi-turn conversation. Type quit or press Ctrl+D to exit.

5. Verify your setup

missy doctor

This runs health checks on all subsystems -- config, providers, policy engine, memory, audit log -- and reports any issues.

What just happened

After completing these steps, Missy has:

  • Created ~/.missy/config.yaml with your provider credentials and security policies
  • Created ~/.missy/audit.jsonl to log all actions
  • Created ~/.missy/memory.db for conversation history
  • Created ~/workspace/ as the default working directory

Security defaults

Out of the box, Missy operates with all capabilities disabled. It can answer questions and use its built-in tools, but it cannot execute shell commands, write to arbitrary paths, or make network requests outside the configured provider. Enable additional capabilities in ~/.missy/config.yaml as needed.

Next steps