# Quickstart (/docs/quickstart)

This guide takes you from nothing to a shared Skill that Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor can all use. It takes about five minutes.

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

- **Node.js 24 or newer** and npm.
- **At least one supported harness**: Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor. BarnDog can be set up before a harness is installed, too.
- **Your organization's BarnDog server URL.** Your BarnDog admin can tell you what it is.
- **Access to your organization.** An admin must have added you to the organization before you can sign in from the CLI.

<Callout title="Early access">
  During early access, the CLI is installed from the BarnDog repository rather
  than from the npm registry.
</Callout>

<Steps>
<Step>

### Install the CLI [#install-the-cli]

From the repository's `cli/` directory, build the CLI and link the `barndog` command:

```bash
npm install
npm run build
npm link
```

Check that it works from any directory:

```bash
barndog --help
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Sign in [#sign-in]

```bash
barndog login --server https://barndog.example.com
```

Your browser opens a sign-in page. Confirm that the code it shows matches the one in your terminal. The server you pass here becomes your default, so later commands don't need `--server`.

Check who you're signed in as:

```bash
barndog auth status
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Choose your harnesses [#choose-your-harnesses]

```bash
barndog init --server https://barndog.example.com
```

BarnDog lists Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor and shows which ones it detected on this machine. Use the arrow keys to move, <kbd>Space</kbd> to check a harness, and <kbd>Enter</kbd> to save.

This only saves your preferences to `~/.barndog/config.yaml`. Nothing is installed yet.

</Step>
<Step>

### Install a Skill [#install-a-skill]

List the Skills published in your organization:

```bash
barndog skills list
```

Each row shows the Skill's name, its origin (who owns it), and its current version. Install one by name and origin:

```bash
barndog skills install code-review --origin team/platform
```

BarnDog downloads the published version, checks it, and links it into every harness you selected.

</Step>
<Step>

### Start a new agent session [#start-a-new-agent-session]

Harnesses read Skills when a session starts. Open a fresh Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor session and the Skill is available.

</Step>
</Steps>

## Stay up to date [#stay-up-to-date]

When a teammate publishes a new version, run:

```bash
barndog sync
```

Sync downloads every new version first and only then updates your harness links, so a failed download never leaves you half-updated. Running it again when nothing changed reports everything as unchanged.

## Next steps [#next-steps]

<Cards>
  <Card title="Install and manage Skills" href="/docs/guides/install-skills">
    Disable, re-enable, and remove Skills, and mix in local ones.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Author and improve a Skill" href="/docs/guides/author-skills">
    Pull a Skill, edit it, and suggest your change.
  </Card>
</Cards>