Getting started

From zero to a running multi-agent session in five minutes.

Prerequisites

You need:

macOS, Linux, or Windows 10 1809+ / Windows 11 (x86_64 or arm64)
Claude Code installed and authenticated
Git

That's it. initech is a single binary. No Go toolchain, no Node, no Docker.

01 Install

macOS / Linux:

$ curl -fsSL https://initech.sh/install.sh | bash

On macOS this installs via Homebrew. On Linux it downloads the binary to ~/.local/bin. Alternatively:

$ brew tap nmelo/tap && brew install initech

Windows (PowerShell):

PS> irm https://initech.sh/install.ps1 | iex

The PowerShell installer downloads the native Windows binary, verifies its checksum, and adds it to your user PATH. See Install initech on Windows for the full guide, including the WSL2 alternative.

02 Verify the installation

$ initech doctor

  Prerequisites
  ok  initech v1.3.0
  ok  claude (Claude Code)
  ok  git 2.44.0
  ok  Terminal: 212x56 (meets 80x24 minimum)

  All checks passed.

initech doctor checks that all prerequisites are installed and your terminal is large enough. Fix anything it flags before continuing.

03 Bootstrap a project

$ mkdir myproject && cd myproject
$ initech init

  Project name [myproject]: 
  Source repo URL (blank to skip): github.com:you/myproject.git

  Select agents for myproject

    COORDINATORS
    [x] super

    ENGINEERS
    [x] eng1
    [x] eng2
    [ ] eng3

    QUALITY
    [x] qa1
    [ ] qa2

    PRODUCT
    [x] pm
    [ ] pmm

    SHIPPING
    [x] shipper

    SPECIALISTS
    [ ] arch   [ ] sec   [ ] writer   [ ] ops   [ ] growth

  Created: initech.yaml
  Created: 6 agent workspaces (super, eng1, eng2, qa1, pm, shipper)
  Created: docs/ (prd.md, spec.md, systemdesign.md, roadmap.md)
  Initialized git repository

The interactive selector lets you pick which agents to run. Use arrow keys to navigate, space to toggle, enter to confirm. Start with the defaults if you're unsure.

This creates:

initech.yaml with your project config
A workspace directory per agent, each with a CLAUDE.md tailored to the role
Git submodules for agents that need source access (eng, qa, shipper)
docs/ with project document templates

04 Launch the TUI

$ initech

This opens the TUI. Every agent gets its own pane in a grid layout. The grid auto-sizes based on how many agents you selected. Each pane runs Claude Code with the role's CLAUDE.md loaded.

You'll see pane title bars with agent names and activity dots: green = agent is working, gray = idle.

Navigate between panes with Alt+Left / Alt+Right. The focused pane has a blue title bar.

05 Send a message to an agent

$ initech send eng1 "review the README and fix any typos"

This injects text directly into eng1's terminal and presses Enter. The message is delivered synchronously with a guarantee: if initech send returns, eng1 received it.

You can send from any terminal, not just the TUI. Open a separate terminal window and run the command above while the TUI is running.

06 Check on an agent

$ initech peek eng1 -n 20

  I'll review the README now and fix any typos I find.

  Let me start by reading the file...
  [reads README.md]
  ...

initech peek reads an agent's terminal output without sending anything. The -n 20 flag limits output to the last 20 lines.

To check all agents at once:

$ initech patrol

07 Check status

$ initech status

  AGENT     STATE    BEAD
  super     idle
  eng1      active
  eng2      idle
  qa1       idle
  pm        idle
  shipper   idle

A quick table showing each agent's activity state. No need to peek into individual panes to see who's working.

08 Shut down

$ initech down

Gracefully stops all agents and closes the TUI. Agent conversation state is saved in .claude/ directories, so the next time you run initech, agents can resume where they left off.

You can also quit from inside the TUI with Alt+q or the command modal: press ` then type quit.

Adding agents later

If you decide partway through a project that you want another engineer or a QA agent, do not hand-edit initech.yaml. Run:

$ initech add-agent eng3

This scaffolds the workspace directory with a role-tailored CLAUDE.md, appends the role to initech.yaml, and adds the git submodule for roles that need source access. It is idempotent, so re-running it is safe. Restart the TUI to pick up the new pane, or use initech add eng3 if a session is already running.

See the add-agent command reference for full details and the Roles page for the catalog of built-in roles.

What's next

You have a running session. From here:

Configuration to customize your initech.yaml (roles, permissions, agent commands)
Commands for the full CLI reference
TUI for all keybindings, layouts, and the command modal
Roles to understand what each agent type does and how to customize them
Communication for agent-to-agent messaging patterns

Configuration reference

Last updated: April 2026