Quickstart

This guide assumes Raw is installed. If not, follow Install Raw first.

1. Create the starter configuration.

   raw config init

   This writes ~/.config/raw/config.json with a default agent named raw. It does not overwrite an existing file.

2. Point the model at a real model.

   Open the file and find the models block. The starter entry looks like this:

   {
     "default_agent": "raw",
     "models": {
       "local": {
         "provider": "ollama",
         "method": "openai-chat-completions",
         "model_id": "YOUR_INSTALLED_MODEL",
         "base_url": "http://127.0.0.1:11434/v1"
       }
     }
   }

   Replace YOUR_INSTALLED_MODEL with the exact model ID your server reports. For a hosted model, add another entry to models instead. Keep the API key in an environment variable and reference it with api_key_env:

   {
     "models": {
       "flash": {
         "provider": "deepseek",
         "method": "openai-chat-completions",
         "model_id": "deepseek-flash",
         "base_url": "https://api.deepseek.com",
         "api_key_env": "DEEPSEEK_API_KEY",
         "context_window_tokens": 1048576
       }
     }
   }

   Then point an agent at the new alias by setting its model field to flash. See Models and agents for every field.

3. Run a first task.

   raw "Explain the tests in this repository"

   Raw runs the task with the default agent, prints the answer to stdout, and writes status lines to stderr. When the run ends, it prints a copyable resume command. To choose an agent explicitly, use raw --agent raw "task".

4. Open the interactive REPL.

   raw

   The REPL keeps one saved session. Type a task at the ❯ prompt. Use /compact to summarize older context, /clear to start a new saved session, /stats to show usage, and /exit to leave. Press Ctrl-C to cancel active work.

5. Continue the last session.

   raw --continue "Follow up on that change"

   --continue resumes the most recent unexpired session for the current workspace. To resume a specific session, use raw --resume ID "task". To list sessions, run raw sessions.

6. Open the dashboard.

   raw dashboard

   Raw starts a local server at http://127.0.0.1:8787, opens your browser, and prints an authenticated link. Keep the process running while you use the dashboard. Setup and saved history work even before the model connection is configured.

Next steps

• Core concepts explains how models, agents, tools and skills fit together.
• Permissions explains what a tool call can do on your machine.
• Dashboard describes the browser app.