> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://continuum-three-olive.vercel.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> From installer to your first remote plan approval in about five minutes, on whichever platform you use.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install a host">
    A host is the machine that actually runs your agents. Pick the one you sit
    at — the Mac app, the Windows or Linux desktop app, or the CLI. All of them
    start their own local daemon; none of them needs another machine to work.

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="macOS">
        Download the signed and notarized DMG from
        [mac.continuumcode.ai](https://mac.continuumcode.ai), drag `Continuum.app`
        to Applications, and launch it. The app lives in the menu bar and opens a
        full window. Updates arrive in-app via Sparkle — a quiet popover in the
        top-right, never a center-screen overlay.

        <Note>Requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later.</Note>
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Windows">
        Download the installer from
        [continuumcode.ai/download](https://continuumcode.ai/download) and run it.
        It's an NSIS installer for x64 Windows 10/11, and it bundles its own daemon
        — no Mac required.

        <Note>The Windows desktop app is **beta**. Expect rough edges.</Note>
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Linux">
        Grab the `.deb` or the AppImage (x64 and arm64) from
        [continuumcode.ai/download](https://continuumcode.ai/download). Like
        Windows, it bundles its own daemon and runs local-first.

        <Note>The Linux desktop app is **beta**.</Note>
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="CLI">
        One line, no sudo — it resolves the latest release, verifies checksums, and
        installs `continuum` to `~/.local/bin`:

        ```bash theme={"dark"}
        curl -fsSL https://continuumcode.ai/install-cli.sh | sh
        ```

        On Windows PowerShell, which installs to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Continuum\bin`:

        ```powershell theme={"dark"}
        Invoke-WebRequest https://continuumcode.ai/install-cli.ps1 -OutFile install-cli.ps1
        .\install-cli.ps1
        ```

        Then `continuum tui` for the terminal workbench, or `continuum new` to start
        a session outright. See [the CLI](/docs/surfaces/cli).
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    Every client is free — you pay only for the provider subscriptions you
    already have. Full per-platform requirements live in
    [Installation](/docs/installation).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Let it find your CLIs">
    Continuum discovers the provider CLIs already on your machine — `claude`,
    `codex`, `agy` (Antigravity), `cursor-agent`, `grok`, and `opencode` —
    and lights up a quota gauge for each under the **Usage** tab. No CLI, no
    gauge: you need at least one provider installed and logged in — or use
    Continuum's own [hosted models](/docs/features/hosted-inference), which need no
    CLI at all.

    The two most common are a one-line install each:

    ```bash theme={"dark"}
    npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    npm install -g @openai/codex
    ```

    Then sign in to each (`claude`, `codex login`). Missing a CLI? **Settings →
    Providers** runs the same install command for you, per provider.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run your first session">
    Open the **Code** tab and click **+** on a repo. A floating New Session box
    opens over whatever you were looking at. Pick your model and effort, flip
    the one-click **Worktree / Local** chip, then type your prompt and send.
    Continuum spawns the agent — by default in an isolated git worktree, so it
    can't touch your main checkout — gives the session a city name, streams the
    transcript, and tracks the plan, diff, and PR alongside it.

    <Tip>⌥-click **+** instead to quick-spawn instantly using the repo's
    resolved defaults, skipping the box entirely.</Tip>

    Not sure which model to pick? Choose **Auto** at the top of the model
    picker and Continuum assigns a planner, an executor, and a cross-provider
    verifier from the providers you've connected. See
    [Providers](/docs/providers/overview#auto-model-routing).

    From a terminal, the same thing is one command:

    ```bash theme={"dark"}
    continuum new -repo /path/to/repo -provider claude -model opus -effort high
    ```

    Want a guardrail? The composer carries a one-click **Plan ↔ Code** pill.
    Flip it to **Plan** and the agent must present a plan you approve before it
    touches code. See [plan mode](/docs/features/plan-mode).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign in, so your devices find each other">
    Open **Settings → Account** and sign in with your email; the flow finishes
    in your browser. Do the same on your iPhone, Android phone, or at
    [continuumcode.ai/app](https://continuumcode.ai/app).

    Devices signed into the same account discover each other automatically —
    there is no QR code to scan. The first time a phone connects, approve it
    once from **Settings → Devices** on the host. Details in
    [pairing](/docs/pairing).

    <Tip>You can start at this step instead of step 1. Install Continuum
    Console on your iPhone, sign in, and add a host afterwards — the phone's
    onboarding walks you through it.</Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Leave your desk">
    When a plan is ready or a session finishes, your phone and Watch know.
    Approve a plan, send a follow-up, interrupt a run, or merge a PR from
    wherever you are — the session keeps running on the host either way.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Where to next

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="The Code tab" icon="square-code" href="/docs/surfaces/code">
    Sessions, worktrees, the review pane, and everything the sidebar does.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan mode" icon="list-checks" href="/docs/features/plan-mode">
    Make the agent show its work before it writes any.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Analytics" icon="chart-column" href="/docs/features/analytics">
    `$ / token` by provider, day, and repo — parsed locally from your own logs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Autopilot & safety" icon="shield-check" href="/docs/features/autopilot">
    Per-repo trust, rate limits, and an audit log of every remote command.
  </Card>
</Columns>