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Quickstart

This page gets you from install to a useful first disco session.

Install

DisCo is distributed as an npm package:

npm install -g --ignore-scripts @auto-ml-skills/disco

--ignore-scripts disables dependency lifecycle scripts during install. DisCo does not require install scripts for normal npm installs.

Uninstall

Use the package manager that installed DisCo:

# npm install -g
npm uninstall -g @auto-ml-skills/disco

# pnpm
pnpm remove -g @auto-ml-skills/disco

# Yarn
yarn global remove @auto-ml-skills/disco

# Bun
bun uninstall -g @auto-ml-skills/disco

Uninstalling disco leaves settings, credentials, sessions, and installed disco packages in ~/.disco/agent/.

Then start disco in the project directory you want it to work on:

cd /path/to/project
disco

Authenticate

DisCo can use subscription providers through /login, or API-key providers through environment variables or the auth file.

Option 1: subscription login

Start disco and run:

/login

Then select a provider. Built-in subscription logins include Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus/Pro (Codex), and GitHub Copilot.

Option 2: API key

Set an API key before launching disco:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
disco

You can also run /login and select an API-key provider to store the key in ~/.disco/agent/auth.json.

See Providers for all supported providers, environment variables, and cloud-provider setup.

First session

Once disco starts, type a request and press Enter:

Summarize this repository and tell me how to run its checks.

By default, disco gives the model four tools:

  • read - read files
  • write - create or overwrite files
  • edit - patch files
  • bash - run shell commands

Additional built-in read-only tools (grep, find, ls) are available through tool options. DisCo runs in your current working directory and can modify files there. Use git or another checkpointing workflow if you want easy rollback.

Give disco project instructions

DisCo loads context files at startup. Add an AGENTS.md file to tell it how to work in a project:

# Project Instructions

- Run `npm run check` after code changes.
- Do not run production migrations locally.
- Keep responses concise.

DisCo loads:

  • ~/.disco/agent/AGENTS.md for global instructions
  • AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md from parent directories and the current directory

Restart disco, or run /reload, after changing context files.

Common things to try

Reference files

Type @ in the editor to fuzzy-search files, or pass files on the command line:

disco @README.md "Summarize this"
disco @src/app.ts @src/app.test.ts "Review these together"

Images or text can be pasted with Ctrl+V (Alt+V on Windows); images can also be dragged into supported terminals.

Run shell commands

In interactive mode:

!npm run lint

The command output is sent to the model. Use !!command to run a command without adding its output to the model context.

Switch models

Use /model or Ctrl+L to choose a model. Use Shift+Tab to cycle thinking level. Use Ctrl+P / Shift+Ctrl+P to cycle through scoped models.

Continue later

Sessions are saved automatically:

disco -c                  # Continue most recent session
disco -r                  # Browse previous sessions
disco --name "my task"    # Set session display name at startup
disco --session <path|id> # Open a specific session

Inside disco, use /resume, /new, /tree, /fork, and /clone to manage sessions.

Non-interactive mode

For one-shot prompts:

disco -p "Summarize this codebase"
cat README.md | disco -p "Summarize this text"
disco -p @screenshot.png "What's in this image?"

Use --mode json for JSON event output or --mode rpc for process integration.

Next steps

  • Using DisCo - interactive mode, slash commands, sessions, context files, and CLI reference.
  • Providers - authentication and model setup.
  • Settings - global and project configuration.
  • Keybindings - shortcuts and customization.
  • DisCo Packages - install shared extensions, skills, prompts, and themes.

Platform notes: Windows, Termux, tmux, Terminal setup, Shell aliases.