Quickstart

Install the CLI, create your computer and run your first agent.

1. Install the CLI

$ curl -fsSL usemodem.dev/install | sh

A single binary lands in ~/.local/bin. Nothing else is installed locally: tmux, the agents and the runtimes all live on the computer, not on your machine.

If your shell cannot find modem afterwards, add that folder to your PATH:

$ echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

2. Set up your account and computer

$ modem setup

One command does three things: it creates your account, provisions your computer, and offers to connect your tools.

1. A short code appears and your browser opens.
2. You enter your email and your invite code, and confirm.
3. Modem provisions your machine: its own micro-VM, disk and access token.

The first boot takes about a minute. Everything is written to ~/.modem/config.json; there are no environment variables to set.

3. Connect your tools

$ modem connect github
$ modem connect claude

These logins happen on the computer and persist on its disk: you do them once, ever. Because a browser cannot open over there, the CLI detects the login URL and opens it here; you only paste the short code back. See Connecting tools.

4. Work inside it

$ modem claude

Claude Code opens, identical to a local session, streamed from your computer. Press Ctrl+Q to detach: the session, and whatever the agent is doing, keeps running. Type modem claude again, from any machine, and you are back on the same screen.

5. Or delegate and leave

$ modem run "read the files in ./notes and write me a summary"
  ✓ job started

$ modem
  ● your computer · online
    Jobs   ▸ "read the files in ./notes…" · 2 min

The prompt comes back immediately. The agent works with full autonomy inside the VM, bounded by a hard timeout.

6. Move files around

$ modem push .              # send the current folder up
$ modem files               # see what is up there
$ modem pull report.md      # bring a result back

The three gestures to remember