> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/builderz-labs/mission-control/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get Mission Control running in 5 minutes and register your first agent.

<Note>
  This quickstart assumes you have Node.js 20+ and pnpm installed. See [Installation](/installation) for detailed prerequisites.
</Note>

## Get Started in 3 Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone and Install">
    Clone the repository and install dependencies:

    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/builderz-labs/mission-control.git
    cd mission-control
    pnpm install
    ```

    <Info>
      Mission Control requires **pnpm** for dependency management. Install with `npm install -g pnpm` or enable corepack with `corepack enable`.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Environment">
    Copy the example environment file and edit with your credentials:

    ```bash theme={null}
    cp .env.example .env
    ```

    Edit `.env` with your preferred text editor. At minimum, set these values:

    ```bash .env theme={null}
    # Admin credentials (seeded on first run)
    AUTH_USER=admin
    AUTH_PASS=your-secure-password

    # API key for programmatic access
    API_KEY=generate-a-random-key-here

    # Network access (allows localhost by default)
    MC_ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
    ```

    <Warning>
      Change default credentials before deploying to production. The `AUTH_USER` and `AUTH_PASS` are only used to seed the initial admin account on first run.
    </Warning>

    If your password contains `#`, either quote it or use base64 encoding:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Quoted Password theme={null}
      AUTH_PASS="my#password"
      ```

      ```bash Base64 Encoded theme={null}
      AUTH_PASS_B64=$(echo -n 'my#password' | base64)
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the Server">
    Launch the development server:

    ```bash theme={null}
    pnpm dev
    ```

    Open your browser to [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) and login with your `AUTH_USER` and `AUTH_PASS` credentials.

    <Info>
      The dev server binds to `127.0.0.1:3000` by default. Production builds use `0.0.0.0:3005`. See [Installation](/installation) for production configuration.
    </Info>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Register Your First Agent

Once logged in, register an agent to start tracking sessions and tasks:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Agent Panel">
    Click **Agents** in the left navigation rail. You'll see the agent management panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Agent via API">
    Use the API to register your first agent:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/agents \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
      -d '{
        "name": "my-first-agent",
        "role": "developer",
        "status": "online"
      }'
    ```

    Response:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "agent": {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "my-first-agent",
        "role": "developer",
        "status": "online",
        "created_at": 1709596800,
        "taskStats": {
          "total": 0,
          "assigned": 0,
          "in_progress": 0,
          "completed": 0
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    <Info>
      The agent appears immediately in the dashboard via Server-Sent Events (SSE). No page refresh required.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="View in Dashboard">
    Return to the Agents panel in your browser. Your new agent appears in the list with status badge, role, and task statistics.

    Click on the agent to view details including:

    * Session key and configuration
    * Task assignments and history
    * Heartbeat status and last seen timestamp
    * SOUL content (if configured)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Connect a CLI Tool (Optional)

Mission Control supports direct CLI integration without requiring a gateway. Connect tools like Claude Code or custom agents:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/connect \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "tool_name": "claude-code",
    "tool_version": "1.0.0",
    "agent_name": "my-first-agent",
    "agent_role": "developer"
  }'
```

Response includes URLs for heartbeats, events, and token reporting:

```json theme={null}
{
  "connection_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "agent_id": 1,
  "agent_name": "my-first-agent",
  "status": "connected",
  "sse_url": "/api/events",
  "heartbeat_url": "/api/agents/1/heartbeat",
  "token_report_url": "/api/tokens"
}
```

### Send Heartbeats

Keep the connection alive by sending heartbeats every 30 seconds:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/agents/1/heartbeat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "connection_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
    "token_usage": {
      "model": "claude-sonnet-4",
      "inputTokens": 1500,
      "outputTokens": 800
    }
  }'
```

<Info>
  Heartbeats can include optional token usage for inline cost tracking. Mission Control automatically calculates costs based on current model pricing.
</Info>

## Create a Task

Create and assign tasks to agents:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/tasks \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Implement user authentication",
    "description": "Add JWT-based authentication to the API",
    "priority": "high",
    "assigned_to": "my-first-agent",
    "status": "todo"
  }'
```

The task appears on the Kanban board and in the agent's work queue. The agent receives notification via SSE if subscribed to `/api/events`.

## View the Dashboard

Explore Mission Control's 28 panels:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Overview" icon="gauge">
    System status, active agents, and key metrics
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tasks" icon="list-check">
    Kanban board with drag-and-drop workflow
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agents" icon="robot">
    Agent fleet management and lifecycle
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sessions" icon="terminal">
    Active gateway sessions and connections
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tokens" icon="coins">
    Usage tracking and cost analysis
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory" icon="brain">
    Agent memory browser and search
  </Card>

  <Card title="Logs" icon="file-lines">
    Centralized log viewer with filtering
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat" icon="comments">
    Agent communication interface
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pipelines" icon="diagram-project">
    Workflow orchestration and templates
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation Guide" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Production deployment and environment configuration
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference">
    Complete API documentation for all 66 endpoints
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Integration" icon="plug" href="/integrations">
    Connect OpenClaw, Claude Code, and custom agents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security" icon="shield" href="/security">
    Authentication, authorization, and security best practices
  </Card>
</CardGroup>