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Set up Poolside in your terminal and send your first prompt to an agent.
Want to try a Poolside model before installing anything? Use chat.poolside.ai to send prompts from your browser. No sign-up required.

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Watch the quickstart video

Watch how to install pool, authenticate with Poolside Platform, make an OpenRouter request, and choose when to use open-weight models.

Three ways to your first call

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Prerequisites

  • A local project or repository you can use for your first task.
  • On macOS or Linux, curl or wget, and tar.
  • On Windows, PowerShell and tar.

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Step 1: Install Poolside Agent CLI

Run one of the following commands:
Install with curl
Install with wget
Verify the installation:
The command prints the installed version. For installation details, see Install Poolside Agent CLI.

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Step 2: Log in

Run:
Looking for the fastest way to get a free Poolside API key? Choose Use Poolside Platform for free (recommended).
Choose how you want to access models with the Poolside agent: For more information, including where to get an API key or token, see Log in to Poolside.

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Step 3: Start a session

Go to the project directory you want to work in and start pool:
The session stays open so you can:
  • Send follow-up prompts
  • Review responses
  • Approve file or command actions when needed
Send your first prompt:
You know setup worked when Poolside responds in the terminal and waits for your next prompt.

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Next steps

Keep working in the terminal

Use pool for longer interactive sessions.

Use Poolside in an editor

Connect Poolside to an editor or editor extension.

Automate a task

Use pool exec for one-shot prompts and scripts.

Call the API

Send model requests from your own tools and services.

Example prompts

Try prompts for common development tasks.

Configure Poolside

Shape agent behavior and control what it can access.