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⚡Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Hive AI in under 5 minutes

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⚡ Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Hive AI in under 5 minutes! This guide covers the essentials for new users.

🚀

New to Hive AI?

Start your AI consensus journey today! Get your OpenRouter API key and Hive license to unlock the power of 400+ AI models.

💡 Just Purchased? If you arrived here after purchasing a license, welcome! Follow the steps below to get started.

📋 Prerequisites for Setup

Before we begin installation, gather these requirements and save them somewhere convenient for copy/paste during setup:

  1. Install Node.js - Visit nodejs.org and download the LTS version (required for npm)
  2. Get your OpenRouter API key at openrouter.ai/keys - Save this in a text file for easy copying
  3. Get your Hive license at hivetechs.io/pricing - Keep this license key handy for setup
  4. Retrieve your Hive license at hivetechs.io/portal using the Recover Key option

💡 Pro Tip: Save both keys in a text file or note app before starting installation. You'll need to copy/paste them during the setup process.

🚀

New! Hive IDE Desktop Application

Experience the power of Hive AI with our new desktop IDE! Get the full development environment with 4-stage AI consensus built right in.

✓No Terminal Setup Required

Full GUI experience with integrated terminal

✓Auto-Updates & Easy Install

Stay current with automatic update notifications

✓Native Performance

Optimized for macOS, Windows, and Linux

✓Same License & API Keys

Works with your existing Hive license

Available for macOS, Windows & Linux
ORContinue with command-line installation below

📱 Step 1: Open Your Command Line

Choose your platform:

🤖Claude Code - Premium AI Development Environment

Claude Code has an integrated terminal - perfect for running Hive commands! Uses agentic search to understand your codebase inside your terminal!

✨ Built-in terminal readyJust start typing commands!
Or use your existing setup:

🪟Windows

Windows + R
Type: cmd

Or search "Command Prompt" in Start Menu

🍎macOS

Cmd + Space
Type: Terminal

Or Finder → Applications → Utilities

💻IDEs & Linux

Ctrl + ` (IDE)
Ctrl + Alt + T (Linux)

VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or Linux terminal

⬇️ Step 2: Download Hive AI

Copy and paste this command into your terminal:

# Install Hive AI globally
npm install -g @hivetechs/hive-ai

🔍 What this command does:

npmNode Package Manager
Downloads software
-gGlobal Install
Available everywhere
@hivetechs/hive-aiOur Platform
AI tools

✅ Step 3: Verify Installation

Test that everything works:

hive --version
Expected output: 🐝 hive v1.22.19

🎉 Success!

You now have Hive AI installed and ready to use. Time to configure everything for your first AI consensus!

⚡ Step 4: Run Quickstart Setup

Now let's configure everything with one command. This interactive setup will guide you through each step:

# Complete setup: license + OpenRouter + profiles + IDEs + MCP server
hive quickstart

📋 What to Expect During Setup

The quickstart wizard will prompt you for information step-by-step. Here's what you'll encounter:

1
Enter Your Hive License Key
Paste your HIVE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX license key when prompted
2
Enter Your OpenRouter API Key
Paste your OpenRouter API key (starts with sk-or-) for access to 400+ AI models
3
Choose Setup Options
When presented with menu options, select option 2: "Manage profiles and configuration"
4
Select Expert Profile Templates
Choose from our pre-configured Expert Profile Templates optimized for different use cases (coding, research, etc.)

🔧 Why Profile Setup Matters

Hive AI uses consensus profiles to orchestrate multiple AI models for better results. You need at least one profile configured before your first consensus query. Our Expert Profile Templates are pre-optimized with the best model combinations for specific tasks.

This single command will configure:

  1. License Activation - Validates and activates your Hive AI license
  2. OpenRouter Integration - Connects you to 400+ AI models
  3. Consensus Profiles - Sets up expert-optimized model combinations
  4. IDE Configuration - Auto-configures Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code
  5. MCP Server - Starts the Model Context Protocol server for IDE integration

🆘 Troubleshooting

⚠️ "npm not found" or "command not found"

You need Node.js installed first:

1Visit nodejs.org
2Download the LTS version (recommended)
3Run installer with default settings
4Restart terminal and try again

🔒 "Permission denied" or "Access denied"

Windows Solution:

Right-click Command Prompt → "Run as administrator"

Mac/Linux Solution:

Add sudo before the command

✨ Your First Commands

Once setup is complete, try these commands based on how you're using Hive AI:

🖥️ For Terminal/CLI Use (Recommended)

# Ask questions directly - natural and fast!
hive "What is React?"
hive "explain async/await in JavaScript"

# Check your configuration and system status
hive status

# View all available commands
hive help

🔧 For IDE Integration (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)

# Use explicit consensus command for MCP compatibility
hive consensus "What is React?"
hive consensus "explain async/await in JavaScript"

💡 Why the difference? IDEs require the explicit "consensus" command for MCP (Model Context Protocol) compatibility. For direct terminal use, the shorthand `hive "question"` is faster and more natural.

🎯 Essential First Steps

1. View Available Commands

# See all available commands
hive help

# Get help on specific topics
hive help consensus
hive help models

2. Try Basic Queries

🖥️ Terminal/CLI Usage
# Ask questions naturally - no special formatting needed
hive "How do I center a div in CSS?"
hive "Explain async/await in JavaScript"
hive "What's the difference between let and const?"
🔧 IDE/MCP Usage
# Use consensus command for IDE compatibility
hive consensus "How do I center a div in CSS?"
hive consensus "Explain async/await in JavaScript"

✨ Note: Real-time streaming works in CLI usage. IDE/MCP integration shows complete responses after processing.

3. Monitor Your Usage

# Check system status
hive status

# Estimate costs for a question
hive cost estimate "your question here"

# View analytics
hive analytics

🎯 Ready for Your First AI Consensus?

After installation, run this command to get started:

hive quickstart

This will guide you through setup, model selection, and your first consensus query.

🛠️ Manual Configuration

If you need to update configuration after quickstart:

Configure OpenRouter

# Configure OpenRouter API key
hive provider configure openrouter YOUR_OPENROUTER_KEY

# Test connection
hive test-providers

Configure License & Profiles

# Add or update your license key
hive configure license

# View current profiles
hive pipeline list

# Configure consensus pipeline
hive pipeline configure

🔧 Automated IDE Configuration

Hive AI automatically detects and configures all supported IDEs during hive quickstart. No manual configuration needed!

🤖 Automatic Detection

✓Claude Code detection via claude --version
✓Cursor detection via cursor --version
✓Windsurf detection via windsurf --version
✓VS Code detection via code --version

⚙️ Auto-Configuration

✓Generates IDE-specific config files
✓Manages port allocation automatically
✓Creates backups before modification
✓Handles conflicts and error recovery

🔗 Configuration Files Created

After running hive quickstart, these files are automatically created/updated:

🔵Claude Code: ~/.claude.json
🟡Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
🟢Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
🟣VS Code: ~/.vscode/settings.json

💡 Pro Tip: Only IDEs that are actually installed get configured. The system is intelligent enough to skip missing IDEs and only configure what you have.

🆘 Troubleshooting

"Command not found"

If hive command isn't recognized:

# Reinstall globally
npm install -g @hivetechs/hive-ai

# Verify Node.js is installed (requires v18+)
node --version
npm --version

# If not, install from nodejs.org first

"No API providers configured"

# Run quickstart to configure everything
hive quickstart

# Or configure OpenRouter manually
hive provider configure openrouter YOUR_KEY

"Provider connection failed"

# Test OpenRouter connection
hive test-providers

# Check your API key
hive provider configure openrouter YOUR_KEY

"License validation failed"

# Configure your license
hive configure license

# Check status
hive status

💡 License Format: Your license key should look like HIVE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX and unlocks all features including 400+ models via OpenRouter.

💡 Quick Tips

  1. Streaming in CLI - Terminal usage shows real-time output, IDEs show complete responses
  2. No prompt engineering needed - Ask questions naturally
  3. Use quickstart - hive quickstart sets up everything at once
  4. Check status - hive status shows configuration and health
  5. OpenRouter powers it all - Access to 400+ models with one API key

Ready to go? Start with hive quickstart to set up everything, then use hive "your question" (CLI) or hive consensus "your question" (IDE) to get started!