The First 15 Minutes
This guide gets you from a fresh install to a working crew session.
1. Create an Account
Register at metateam.ai/register — fill in username, email, and password, then click the verification link in your email.
Or register from the terminal:
metateam account register
2. Launch Metateam
Open a terminal in your project directory and run:
cd my-project
metateam
On first run, this single command handles everything:
- Prompts you to log in (username and password).
- Installs session hooks for detected AI clients.
- Initializes a crew (prompts for a crew name, defaults to the directory name).
- Launches the dashboard.
- Summons Data — your crew coordinator.
You will see each step print its status as it runs. When setup is complete, the dashboard appears in your terminal.
3. The Dashboard
The dashboard is a full-screen terminal interface. Data's tab is active. You will see Data initializing — loading context, checking project state, and greeting you.
Here is what you can do:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| F1–F9 | Switch between agent tabs |
| F10 / F11 | Previous / next tab |
| F12 | Open help and command shortcuts |
| F12, a | Summon a new agent |
| F12, m | Open the message composer |
| F12, c | Toggle the communication log |
| F12, q | Quit the dashboard (agents keep running) |
Press F12 at any time to see the full shortcut list.
4. Your First Task
Type directly in Data's tab to give your first task:
What files are in this project? Give me a quick overview.
Data works like any AI coding agent — but with persistent memory. It reads your project, answers your question, and everything it learns is captured for future sessions.
5. Verify the System Is Working
After Data finishes working, check that session capture is active. Open a browser and go to metateam.ai/account/sessions. Your session should appear in the list.
You can also verify from the terminal:
metateam session search "overview"
If the session appears, hooks are working and sessions are being captured.
6. Set Your First Knowledge Base Entry
Think of a convention that agents should always follow in this project. Tell Data:
Save a KB entry: always use async/await, no callbacks. Mark it as important.
Data creates the entry and marks it as important. Important entries are automatically injected into every future agent session for this project. You can also manage KB entries from the web interface at metateam.ai/account/knowledge.
Keep important entries compact — every important entry consumes agent context window.
7. The Warm Start
Close the dashboard (F12, q) and relaunch:
metateam
Data starts with context from your previous session already loaded. Ask:
What is our coding style convention?
Data responds with the KB entry you created, without you re-explaining anything. That is the warm start — the system remembers.
Next Steps
- The Daily Workflow — what a normal working day looks like after setup.
- The Dashboard Guide — full reference for dashboard tabs, shortcuts, and slash commands.
- Crew Workflows — how multi-agent coordination works from the dashboard.
- Getting Started with Metateam — the extended onboarding guide covering crew operations, Data coordination, and daily workflow.