| --- |
| title: Quickstart |
| summary: Get Paperclip running in minutes |
| --- |
| |
| Get Paperclip running locally in under 5 minutes. |
|
|
| ## Quick Start (Recommended) |
|
|
| ```sh |
| npx penclip onboard --yes |
| ``` |
|
|
| This walks you through setup, configures your environment, and gets Paperclip running. |
|
|
| If you already have a Paperclip install, rerunning `onboard` keeps your current config and data paths intact. Use `npx penclip configure` if you want to edit settings. |
|
|
| To start Paperclip again later: |
|
|
| ```sh |
| npx penclip run |
| ``` |
|
|
| > **Note:** If you used `npx` for setup, always use `npx penclip` to run commands. The `pnpm penclip` form only works inside a cloned copy of the Paperclip repository (see Local Development below). |
|
|
| ## Local Development |
|
|
| For contributors working on Paperclip itself. Prerequisites: Node.js 20+ and pnpm 9+. |
|
|
| Clone the repository, then: |
|
|
| ```sh |
| pnpm install |
| pnpm dev |
| ``` |
|
|
| This starts the API server and UI at [http://localhost:3100](http://localhost:3100). |
|
|
| No external database required — Paperclip uses an embedded PostgreSQL instance by default. |
|
|
| When working from the cloned repo, you can also use: |
|
|
| ```sh |
| pnpm penclip run |
| ``` |
|
|
| This auto-onboards if config is missing, runs health checks with auto-repair, and starts the server. |
|
|
| ## What's Next |
|
|
| Once Paperclip is running: |
|
|
| 1. Create your first company in the web UI |
| 2. Define a company goal |
| 3. Create a CEO agent and configure its adapter |
| 4. Build out the org chart with more agents |
| 5. Set budgets and assign initial tasks |
| 6. Hit go — agents start their heartbeats and the company runs |
|
|
| <Card title="Core Concepts" href="/start/core-concepts"> |
| Learn the key concepts behind Paperclip |
| </Card> |
|
|
