Getting Started

This page walks you through everything from creating an account to running your first mind-mapping session — by the end, you'll have a real specification in Athenode.

Sign up and create a project

Sign up or log in at platform.athenode.com. Once you're in, create a project — this is the container that will hold your specification tree.

Get a project token

The athenode CLI — which is how AI agents read and update your specification tree — authenticates with a project token rather than your personal login. From your project, create a new project token and copy it; you'll paste it into the CLI in the next step.

Install and set up the CLI

From the root directory of your codebase, run:

npx @athenode/cli init

Run this from your project's root — init installs a local config file there that the CLI relies on for every command afterward, so running it from the wrong directory means the CLI won't find your project.

init walks you through the rest of the setup in one flow:

• paste in the project token you copied in the previous step
• select which AI coding environments you use, so Athenode can install its commands into each one
• choose an agent setup — the default Athenode agent setup is always available out of the box, and you can add your own custom setups later once you're comfortable with the basics

Run your first mind map

With setup done, start your first specification from your AI coding assistant:

/mindmap-specification I want to build a task-tracking app for small teams

Describe whatever you actually want to build — Athenode will take it from there.

Once you've finished a mind-mapping session, you'll have a real specification. From there, the natural next steps are to decompose it into smaller pieces and apply it to generate working code — the same loop described in the Overview.

What's next

• Commands reference — the full set of commands for mind-mapping, decomposing, and implementing specifications
• Agent Setups — create, customize, and switch between agent setups
• Team management — invite teammates and manage roles