Quick Start Guide

Learn how to create your first agent and start coding with AI in minutes.

Creating Your First Agent

Agents are individual terminal sessions configured with a specific AI CLI and working directory. Think of them as project-specific AI assistants.

1

Launch Cliio

Open Cliio from your Applications folder or Spotlight (Cmd+Space, then type "Cliio").

First Launch? You'll see a welcome screen with a tutorial. Feel free to follow it or skip and continue with this guide.

2

Click 'New Agent'

Click the + New Agent button in the sidebar, or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+N.

New Agent
3

Configure Your Agent

In the "New Agent" dialog, you'll need to provide three things:

Agent Name

Choose a descriptive name like "Personal Projects" or "Work - API Refactor"

AI CLI Type

Select which AI assistant to use: Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Gemini CLI

Working Directory

The folder where your AI assistant will run. Usually your project directory.

Choosing a Working Directory

The working directory gives your AI assistant access to your project files. Choose the root folder of the project you want to work on. For example:/Users/yourname/projects/my-app
4

Start the Session

Click Create Agent to start your session. Cliio will:

  • Create a new terminal session
  • Set the working directory
  • Launch your chosen AI CLI
  • If tmux is installed, create a persistent session

Success! You should now see your AI assistant ready to help in the terminal window.

Basic Usage

Interacting with Your AI Assistant

Simply type your requests in natural language, just like you would in a regular chat. Your AI assistant has full context of your project.

Example prompts:

  • "Add authentication to the Express API"
  • "Refactor the UserService to use TypeScript"
  • "Write tests for the payment processing module"
  • "Fix the bug where users can't log out"

Switching Between Agents

Use the sidebar to switch between agents, or press Cmd+Tab to cycle through recently used agents.

Starting and Stopping Sessions

Each agent can be individually started or stopped:

  • Start: Click the agent in the sidebar to activate it
  • Stop: Right-click the agent and select "Stop Session"
  • Restart: Stop then start to reset the AI context

Tips for Success

Be Specific with Context

The more specific you are about what you want, the better results you'll get. Instead of "fix the bug," try "fix the authentication bug where users get logged out after 5 minutes."

Use Separate Agents for Different Projects

Create a dedicated agent for each project or major feature. This keeps context isolated and makes it easier to switch between tasks.

Install tmux for Persistence

If you haven't already, install tmux to enable session persistence. This means your conversations survive app restarts and system reboots.

brew install tmux

Learn the Keyboard Shortcuts

Cliio has powerful keyboard shortcuts that make navigation much faster. Check out the Keyboard Shortcuts guide to learn them.

Next Steps

Now that you know the basics, explore advanced features like session persistence and keyboard shortcuts.

Session PersistenceKeyboard Shortcuts