Quickstart

This page gets you from install to a useful first omk session.

Install

OMK is distributed as an npm package:

npm install -g --ignore-scripts open-multi-agent-kit

--ignore-scripts disables dependency lifecycle scripts during install. OMK does not require install scripts for normal npm installs.

Uninstall

Use the package manager that installed omk. npm installs are removed with npm:

# npm install -g
npm uninstall -g open-multi-agent-kit

# pnpm
pnpm remove -g open-multi-agent-kit

# Yarn
yarn global remove open-multi-agent-kit

# Bun
bun uninstall -g open-multi-agent-kit

Uninstalling omk leaves settings, credentials, sessions, and installed omk packages in ~/.omk/agent/.

Then start omk in the project directory you want it to work on:

cd /path/to/project
omk

Authenticate

OMK can use subscription providers through /login, or API-key providers through environment variables or the auth file.

Option 1: subscription login

Start omk and run:

/login

Then select a provider. Built-in subscription logins include Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus/Pro (Codex), and GitHub Copilot.

Option 2: API key

Set an API key before launching omk:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
omk

You can also run /login and select an API-key provider to store the key in ~/.omk/agent/auth.json.

See Providers for all supported providers, environment variables, and cloud-provider setup.

First session

Once omk starts, type a request and press Enter:

Summarize this repository and tell me how to run its checks.

By default, omk gives the model four tools:

• read - read files
• write - create or overwrite files
• edit - patch files
• bash - run shell commands

Additional built-in read-only tools (grep, find, ls) are available through tool options. OMK runs in your current working directory and can modify files there. Use git or another checkpointing workflow if you want easy rollback.

Give omk project instructions

OMK loads context files at startup. Add an AGENTS.md file to tell it how to work in a project:

# Project Instructions

- Run `npm run check` after code changes.
- Do not run production migrations locally.
- Keep responses concise.

OMK loads:

• ~/.omk/agent/AGENTS.md for global instructions
• AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md from parent directories and the current directory

Restart omk, or run /reload, after changing context files.

Common things to try

Reference files

Type @ in the editor to fuzzy-search files, or pass files on the command line:

omk @README.md "Summarize this"
omk @src/app.ts @src/app.test.ts "Review these together"

Images can be pasted with Ctrl+V (Alt+V on Windows) or dragged into supported terminals.

Run shell commands

In interactive mode:

!npm run lint

The command output is sent to the model. Use !!command to run a command without adding its output to the model context.

Switch models

Use /model or Ctrl+L to choose a model; after selecting a model, OMK opens the thinking-level selector. Use /think to open that selector directly. Use Shift+Tab to cycle thinking level. Use Ctrl+P / Shift+Ctrl+P to cycle through scoped models.

Continue later

Sessions are saved automatically:

omk -c                  # Continue most recent session
omk -r                  # Browse previous sessions
omk --name "my task"    # Set session display name at startup
omk --session <path|id> # Open a specific session

Inside omk, use /resume, /new, /tree, /fork, and /clone to manage sessions.

Non-interactive mode

For one-shot prompts:

omk -p "Summarize this codebase"
cat README.md | omk -p "Summarize this text"
omk -p @screenshot.png "What's in this image?"

Use --mode json for JSON event output or --mode rpc for process integration.

Next steps

• Using OMK - interactive mode, slash commands, sessions, context files, and CLI reference.
• Providers - authentication and model setup.
• Settings - global and project configuration.
• Keybindings - shortcuts and customization.
• OMK Packages - install shared extensions, skills, prompts, and themes.

Platform notes: Windows, Termux, tmux, Terminal setup, Shell aliases.