fabro/docs/getting-started/quick-start.mdx
Bryan Helmkamp bc3b76f658 Add screenshots and private preview warning to getting-started docs
- Add runs board screenshot to introduction page
- Add run detail and workflow diagram screenshots to why-arc page
- Add private research preview warning to quick-start page

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-03-07 18:14:55 -05:00

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---
title: "Quick Start"
description: "Get up and running with Arc"
---
<Warning>
Arc is in private research preview. Contact [bryan@qlty.sh](mailto:bryan@qlty.sh) if you're interested in trying it.
</Warning>
## Prerequisites
- [Rust](https://rustup.rs/) (latest stable)
- [Bun](https://bun.sh/) (for the web frontend)
- At least one LLM API key (e.g. `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, `OPENAI_API_KEY`, or `GEMINI_API_KEY`)
## Clone and build
```bash
git clone https://github.com/qltysh/arc.git
cd arc
cargo build --release
```
## Configure API keys
Copy the example environment file and fill in your API keys:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
Edit `.env` and add at least one LLM provider key:
```bash
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export GEMINI_API_KEY=AI...
```
<Note>
You only need one provider key to get started. Add more to enable multi-model workflows.
</Note>
## Run the setup wizard
The interactive setup wizard validates your environment and walks you through configuration:
```bash
./target/release/arc setup
```
## Verify your installation
```bash
./target/release/arc doctor --live
```
This checks that your API keys, tools, and environment are working correctly.
## Run a workflow from the CLI
Try the hello world workflow:
```bash
./target/release/arc run start demo/01-hello.dot
```
Or a multi-step plan-approve-implement workflow with a human approval gate:
```bash
./target/release/arc run start demo/10-plan-implement.dot
```
## Start the API server
The API server exposes a REST API for launching and managing workflow runs:
```bash
./target/release/arc serve
```
This starts the server on `http://localhost:3000`. Demo mode is per-request — the web UI sends the `X-Arc-Demo: 1` header automatically when configured with `ARC_DEMO=1`.
## Start the web frontend
In a separate terminal, install dependencies and start the React dev server:
```bash
cd apps/arc-web
bun install
bun run dev
```
The web UI is available at `http://localhost:5173` and connects to the API server on port 3000.
## Next steps
<Columns cols={2}>
<Card title="Why Arc?" icon="lightbulb" href="/getting-started/why-arc">
Understand the problems Arc solves.
</Card>
<Card title="Workflows" icon="diagram-project" href="/core-concepts/workflows">
Learn how to define workflow graphs in DOT.
</Card>
</Columns>