Back to CVC
Getting Started

Up and running in 60 seconds

Install CVC, meet Sofia (your AI agent), and give your AI a time machine. Two commands. That's it.

60-Second Quickstart

From zero to time machine

1

Install

bash
curl -fsSL https://jaimeena.com/cvc/install.sh | bash

Installs Python 3.11+ via pyenv if needed, then installs CVC. Works on macOS 12+ and Ubuntu 20.04+.

2

Launch

bashFirst run triggers setup wizard
cvc

The setup wizard guides you through provider selection and API key configuration. Takes about 30 seconds.

3

Open the Gateway Recommended

bashLaunches the full CVC Dashboard in your browser
cvc gateway start

The Gateway is the most powerful way to use CVC — a unified web dashboard where you can chat with the agent, manage all subsystems (Proxy, MCP, Hive Mind, Swarm), browse your timeline, configure models, and monitor everything in real time. One command opens it all.

4

Code with a time machine

bashYour first CVC session
User: Help me build an Express API with auth
Sofia: [designs and builds the API]

/commit "API with auth complete"     ← Save the AI's brain
/branch "risky-refactor"             ← Try something new
/restore abc1234                     ← Go back if it fails
/log                                 ← See full history

Meet Sofia

Your AI agent with a time machine

Plans before acting

Creates step-by-step plans for complex tasks before writing code

Learns from mistakes

Records corrections in lessons.md — never makes the same mistake twice

Verifies her work

Runs tests and checks before declaring a task complete

Delegates to specialists

7 sub-agents for Security, UI, Data, AI, and more

Provider Setup

Configure your LLM provider

Anthropic (Claude)

Recommended
bashSet your Anthropic API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here
claude-opus-4-6claude-sonnet-4-5claude-haiku-4-5
Get API key

Four Modes

Four interfaces, one brain, one database

Agent Mode

cvc

Full AI coding assistant in your terminal. Sofia + 17 tools + 31 slash commands.

  • Interactive terminal UI
  • Sub-agent delegation
  • Trust mode permissions
  • Full time-travel

Gateway Mode

cvc gateway start

The interactive web dashboard — manage every CVC subsystem from one unified UI.

  • Full visual command center
  • All subsystems in one place
  • Real-time WebSocket telemetry
  • Browser-based agent chat

Proxy Mode

cvc launch claude

Transparent API proxy wrapping your existing tools. Claude Code, Aider, Codex.

  • Zero config for tool
  • Auto-capture conversations
  • Prompt caching built-in
  • Cross-tool continuity

MCP Mode

cvc mcp

Model Context Protocol server for VS Code + Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf.

  • Native IDE integration
  • Sidebar commands
  • Inline status updates
  • Full CVC tool access

Gateway Dashboard

Everything CVC offers — in one unified interface

The Gateway dashboard organizes every CVC feature into a clean sidebar. Chat with the agent, manage operations, browse your timeline, switch models, and configure settings — all without leaving the browser.

Chat

Browser-based agent chat with full versioning. Never forgets what you told it.

Operations

Visual Commit, Branch, Merge, Restore, Recall, and Diff — no terminal needed.

Models

Visual catalog of 20+ models. Click to switch. Paste API keys directly.

Hive Mind

Create agents from prompts, manage squads, 36+ templates. The singularity.

Memory

Full context window viewer — every message, tool call, and blob, color-coded.

Settings

Autopilot mode, trust mode, agent behavior, hooks, plugins, Git, audit logs.

Hive Mind & Python SDK

Multi-agent singularity and programmatic access

Hive Mind

All agents share one memory — no inter-agent conversation. Create agents from a prompt, manually, or from 36+ templates. Organize into squads. Scale to millions.

AI Agent Creator36+ TemplatesSquad SystemShared MemoryZero Conversation Overhead

Python SDK

Use CVC directly in your Python code. Import HiveMind and Agent, register agents, commit, recall, and share to the hive — all programmatically.

bashpip install tm-ai
from cvc.sdk import HiveMind, Agent

Essential Slash Commands

Your quick reference for CVC

Context

/commitSave a cognitive checkpoint
/branchCreate an exploration branch
/restoreRewind to any previous state
/mergeCombine branch insights into main
/logView full commit history
/diffCompare two cognitive states

Search

/searchSemantic search across all sessions
/recallFind what the AI decided before

Session

/compactIntelligently compress context
/costShow token usage and $ spent
/exportExport session as markdown

Tools

/toolsList available agent tools
/agentsList specialized sub-agents
/providerSwitch LLM provider
/modelSwitch model

System

/helpQuick reference for all commands
/doctorDiagnose system health
/auditView compliance audit trail
/statsSession and workspace stats

Core Workflows

Common patterns for CVC power users

The Safe Experimenter

Never lose a stable state. Every risky idea gets its own isolated branch.

1./commit "stable state"
2./branch risky-experiment
3....try risky approach...
4./restore <stable-commit> (if failed)
5./merge risky-experiment (if succeeded)

The Knowledge Builder

Build a searchable knowledge base across all your AI sessions.

1.Work on feature → AI learns context
2./commit "feature complete"
3.Next day: cvc → auto-restores session
4./search "auth pattern" → finds past solution

The Cost-Conscious Dev

Cut API costs by 90% with prompt caching and intelligent model switching.

1./cost → check spending
2./compact → reduce context, save tokens
3./provider ollama → switch to free local model
4./model haiku → use cheaper model for simple tasks

The Multi-Tool Developer

Same AI brain across CLI, VS Code, Cursor, Aider — zero context loss.

1.9 AM: cvc (CLI agent) → design architecture
2.10 AM: cvc launch cursor → implement in IDE
3.2 PM: cvc launch aider → refactor code
4.One continuous conversation across all tools

Next Steps