---
title: Quickstart
description: From zero to a working agent in 5 minutes
icon: Rocket
---

import Callout from "../../../../components/ui/Callout.astro";

## Get Studio running

Sign up at [studio.decocms.com](https://studio.decocms.com) and you're ready to go.

1. Create your account (email, GitHub, or Google)
2. Create an organization — your top-level workspace
3. You're in.

### Desktop app (recommended for local agents)

The native desktop app lets agents run **on your machine** — with your files, your tooling, and your existing **Claude Code or Codex subscription** as the harness. Studio still handles chat, connections, and logging.

```bash
brew tap decocms/studio https://github.com/decocms/studio
brew install --cask deco-studio
```

macOS (Apple Silicon) for now. See [where an agent runs](./agents#where-an-agent-runs) for how local runtimes work.

<Callout type="info">
  Want to run the Studio server itself on your own infrastructure? See [Self-hosting](./self-hosting/quickstart).
</Callout>

---

## AI provider (already set up for you)

New organizations start with credits on the **Deco AI Gateway**, so you can begin chatting with agents right away — no setup required.

When you want to use your own keys (Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, etc.) or check your remaining gateway credit, head to **Settings → AI Providers**. See [AI Providers](/en/studio/ai-providers) for the full list.

---

## Start chatting (Decopilot)

You don't need to build anything to begin. The home screen is a chat composer — _"What's on your mind?"_ — backed by **Decopilot**, Studio's built-in assistant. Type a request and it gets to work, using whatever tools you've connected. Each conversation is saved under **Decopilot** in the left sidebar.

When you're ready to build a focused, reusable worker, create a dedicated agent.

## Create an agent

Use the **+** / "Browse agents" button in the sidebar to create a new agent. Once it's open, the screen splits in two:

- **Left** — the chat. Above the input are the **model-tier picker** and the **runtime picker** (where the agent runs — cloud or your own machine; see [Agents](/en/studio/agents#where-an-agent-runs)).
- **Right** — a tabbed panel. The **Settings** tab holds instructions, connections, and files; **Automations** holds schedules and triggers. Other tabs (Preview, Content, Review changes) appear only for agents backed by a repo or site.

Open the **Settings** tab and write a one-line instruction describing what this agent should do.

---

## Attach a connection

Connections are the tools your agent can use — GitHub, Slack, Shopify, your database, your own MCP server. You can add them directly from the agent you just created:

1. In the agent's right-panel **Settings**, open the **Connections** section
2. Click **Add connection**
3. Search the catalog (e.g., Gmail), or pick **Custom Connection** to add an unlisted MCP server
4. Click **Connect** and follow the sign-in or paste-a-key flow
5. Pick which of the connection's tools this agent should have

Credentials are encrypted and never exposed to your team. Connections you add this way are stored at the **org level** — they show up under **Settings → Connections** and can be attached to other agents too.

<Callout type="tip">
  You can also start from **Settings → Connections** and install a connection ahead of time, then attach it to agents later. Same outcome — pick whichever order feels natural.
</Callout>

The catalog is populated by the registries enabled under **Settings → Store**.

---

## Talk to it

Just type. The agent uses the tools you attached.

```
Send an email to me@example.com with a poem about MCP.
```

Watch the chat run. Each tool call is logged in **Settings → Monitor**.

<Callout type="success">
  You're set up! From here, set up [Automations](/en/studio/automations) to run agents on a schedule or event, invite team [members](/en/studio/user-management), or build more agents.
</Callout>

## Next steps

- **[Key concepts](./concepts)** — Anatomy of Studio: the agent shell vs. Settings
- **[Agents](./agents)** — How to design and configure agents
- **[Decopilot](./decopilot/overview)** — The AI assistant built into Studio
- **[Self-hosting](./self-hosting/quickstart)** — Deploy on Docker Compose or Kubernetes
