First-run setup

From install to your first approved patch.

Seven steps, one terminal. At the end you'll have watched Skep sandbox a worker, re-verify its patch on a clean copy, and land it on a review branch only after you said yes.

1

Install skep

From PyPI. On Linux, install bubblewrap too so the sandbox backend probes clean.

pipx install skep
sudo apt install bubblewrap   # Linux only (dnf on Fedora)
2

Create your profile

Sets up the personal profile in ~/.skep — provider, model, and endpoint for the assistant. Secrets ride by environment-variable name; Skep never stores values.

skep setup --personal
3

Check readiness

Doctor reports profile readiness, sandbox backend availability, and probes each configured engine binary. Fix anything red before the first run.

skep doctor
If sandbox mode is requested and no backend can be applied, workers refuse to start rather than run unconfined.
4

Start the daemon

The web UI and HTTP API bind to loopback only, token-gated. The access token prints on startup.

skep serve
# then open http://127.0.0.1:8765
5

Register a repository

In the chat (web or skep chat), make any local directory a first-class workspace. Project setup infers the verify command from the repo's own entry point and pins it — that pin is what re-verification runs.

/workon ~/code/your-app
6

Pick a coding engine

The built-in worker is the default. To run Claude Code, Codex, or Aider through Skep, set the engine once per project — external engines are forced into sandbox execution and require the pinned verify command.

skep project setup ~/code/your-app --engine claude_code
7

Run, review, approve

Start a supervised task. When it completes, read the patch and the evidence — including the independent re-verify verdict — then approve. The patch lands on skep/<task_id>; merging into main stays your call, in your normal git flow.

skep run ~/code/your-app "fix the failing test" --execution-mode workspace
skep status --personal
skep review <task_id>
skep review <task_id> --approve
Hit an approval gate mid-run? Choose b (approve + remember) and a successful resume saves a learned template — similar future runs in that repo move with less friction.

Stuck on a step?

The quickstart has the full detail, including worker adapters and sandbox notes for each platform.

Full quickstart Report a problem