docs

install and first run

one command installs bise. the first run asks for one thing, the model, and only when it finds no key.

install

curl -fsSL https://bise.dev/install | sh

the installer picks the build for your Mac (Apple silicon or Intel), checks its sha256, and puts it in ~/.local/share/bise. the bise command goes in ~/.local/bin. no sudo.

open a new terminal if bise is not found yet, or run ~/.local/bin/bise. then check:

bise --version

let a coding agent do it

if you use Claude Code, Codex or another coding agent, paste this into it:

read https://bise.dev/setup.md and set up bise for me

it installs bise, then runs bise setup scan, which lists what your Mac already has (the API keys and where they are, your agent's model, its instructions file, skills and MCP servers) without ever printing a key. it shows you one short plan and waits for your yes before it writes anything.

first run

go to a repo and start bise:

cd your-repo
bise

the first run has up to four short screens:

  1. hello: any key goes on.
  2. the theme: light or dark, picked from your terminal's background. /theme changes it later.
  3. the model: only when bise found no key. you pick a provider, a model, and paste its key. bise checks it with one tiny call before it saves it. see providers and keys.
  4. how it works: three lines about main, the agents and the inbox.

when bise finds keys in your environment (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, ...), it skips the model screen and uses them. /welcome replays these screens.

the model you pick becomes main's. the agents use the same one unless you change it, and the small jobs (titles, summaries) get a cheap model of the same provider. see models and roles.

what goes where

pathwhat it holds
~/.local/share/bisethe app: one folder per version, current points to the one in use
~/.local/bin/bisethe command
~/.bise/config.tomlyour settings: models, approvals, voice
~/.bise/auth.jsonyour saved keys and sign-ins, readable only by you
~/.bise/hubs/one folder per repo where bise runs: its agents and their threads
~/.bise/sessions/the conversation logs

BISE_HOME moves ~/.bise somewhere else.

Ghostty

in Ghostty, a few keys need one line each in Ghostty's config before they reach bise: cmd+v (paste an image), cmd+f, cmd+k, cmd+a and cmd+↑↓. /setup offers them, or:

bise setup ghostty --dry-run   # shows the change, writes nothing
bise setup ghostty             # adds the lines, after a backup of the file

uninstall

bise uninstall           # removes the app, keeps ~/.bise
bise uninstall --purge   # also removes ~/.bise: your settings, keys and threads