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Getting Started
Varun S V edited this page Oct 16, 2026
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-
Node.js 22.22.2 or later (required by the root
package.json). - An accessible model provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Azure, Ollama, or another OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
- A terminal and a project folder that you control. For self-hosting, install Docker with Compose instead; see Cloud-and-Self-Hosting.
npm install -g cascade-ai
mkdir my-project
cd my-project
cascade init
cascade doctor
cascadeInside Cascade's interactive REPL, type /model to select provider → tier → model, or use Auto routing. Try an exploratory task before allowing writes:
Explain the organization of this codebase. Identify the most important modules without changing anything.
For a noninteractive run:
cascade run "Explain the authentication design of the current workspace"Set credentials using a supported environment variable, or configure providers in .cascade/config.json. Avoid committing provider keys.
| Provider | Common setup |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
| OpenAI | OPENAI_API_KEY |
| Gemini |
GOOGLE_API_KEY (credential linking also recognizes some Gemini aliases) |
| Azure OpenAI | Azure resource endpoint, deployment name, API version/key |
| Ollama | Local server, normally http://localhost:11434
|
| OpenAI-compatible | Explicit baseUrl, model, key if needed, and correct local cost designation |
For manual config, see src/config/schema.ts. cascade doctor diagnoses common problems. /why explains routing, and /cost shows token/cost tracking. See Models-and-Budgets.
- Desktop installer: cascadeai.in/download.
- Hosted Cascade Cloud: cascadeai.in.
- Self-hosted web: Cloud-and-Self-Hosting.
- Node SDK or HTTP: API-and-SDK.
- Point file and shell tools only at a workspace you intend to modify.
- Require explicit approval for dangerous operations while evaluating the platform.
- Review the model and cost settings before a large task.
- Never expose
CLOUD_DEV_BYPASS=1beyond a loopback-only local test server.