# Quickstart — Your first agent

Connect your integrations, set up artifacts, and deploy your first agent.



This page walks you from a blank account to a deployed agent you can talk to from the web app, Slack, Discord, or the API.

There are three stages:

1. **Connect integrations.** The LLM provider is required. Slack, Discord, and GitHub are optional.
2. **Set up artifacts** (optional). Skills, rules, and MCP tools you want to share across agents.
3. **Create and deploy an agent.**

## Step 1 — Connect integrations [#step-1--connect-integrations]

Open [Settings → Integrations](https://app.nairi.ai/settings/integrations).

### LLM provider (required) [#llm-provider-required]

Pick one — this decides which agent harness and models you can use.

* **Anthropic** — Claude Code harness, Claude models.
* **Codex** — OpenAI's Codex harness and models.
* **OpenCode Zen** — OpenCode harness with multi-provider model support.

See [Connecting your LLM provider](/help/integrations/llm-provider) for managed-pool vs. bring-your-own-key details.

### Slack and Discord (optional) [#slack-and-discord-optional]

Connect either or both so you can talk to agents from a Slack channel or Discord server.

* [Connecting Nairi to Slack](/help/integrations/slack)
* [Connecting Nairi to Discord](/help/integrations/discord)

Skip this if you only need the web app or API.

### GitHub (optional) [#github-optional]

Two reasons to connect GitHub:

* **Codebase access** — give an agent access to specific repos so it can read code, push branches, and open PRs.
* **Configuration repo** — point Nairi at a repo that holds your skills, MCPs, and `AGENTS.md`. Nairi reads any files in the repo it's running in — for example, the Claude Code harness picks up `.claude/skills/` automatically.

See [Connecting GitHub](/help/integrations/github).

## Step 2 — Set up artifacts (optional) [#step-2--set-up-artifacts-optional]

If you want skills, rules, or MCP tools shared across multiple agents, configure them at [Settings → Artifacts](https://app.nairi.ai/settings/artifacts) before creating the agent.

* [Skills](/help/skills) — reusable capability packages, from the Marketplace or your own.
* [MCP Tools](/help/mcp) — external tool servers (databases, CRMs, observability, internal APIs).
* [Rules](/help/rules) — long-lived instructions the agent should follow when relevant.

You can skip this and attach artifacts to an agent later.

## Step 3 — Create your first agent [#step-3--create-your-first-agent]

Open [Fleet](https://app.nairi.ai/agents/fleet) and click **New agent**.

### Hosting [#hosting]

* **Managed** — Nairi runs the agent for you. This is the default.
* **Self-hosted** — run the agent on your own infrastructure. Free and unlimited on every plan. See [Self-hosting Nairi](/help/self-hosting).

### Required fields [#required-fields]

* **Name** — also the agent's ID. This is how you address it from Slack (`@<name>`), Discord, and the API. Pick something short and unique.
* **LLM integration** — pick from the providers you connected in Step 1.

### Optional fields [#optional-fields]

* **Repository** — a code repo (for PR work) or a configuration repo (for skills/MCPs/`AGENTS.md`). Leave blank if neither applies.
* **Rules, skills, MCPs** — attach anything you set up in Step 2.
* **Environment variables** — attach a [vault](/help/vaults) for secrets like API keys.
* **System prompt** — pre-filled with a default tuned for Nairi. Leave it alone unless you have a specific reason to change it.

Click **Deploy** and wait for the agent to come online.

## Step 4 — Talk to your agent [#step-4--talk-to-your-agent]

Once the agent is live, prompt it from any of:

* **Web app** — open [Tasks](https://app.nairi.ai/agents/tasks). See [Web app](/help/communicating-with-agents/web-app).
* **Slack or Discord** — mention it: `@<agent-name> <your prompt>`. See [Slack & Discord](/help/communicating-with-agents/slack-and-discord).
* **API** — see [API](/help/communicating-with-agents/api).

The full transcript — including tool calls — is always available under [Tasks](https://app.nairi.ai/agents/tasks).

## What to try next [#what-to-try-next]

* Set up a [scheduled job](/help/scheduled-jobs) so the agent runs on a cron.
* [Share an agent](/help/sharing) with teammates or the public.
* Read the [use-case playbooks](/help/playbooks/data-analyst) for end-to-end deployments.

## Related articles [#related-articles]

* [What is Nairi?](/help/getting-started/what-is-nairi)
* [How to deploy an agent](/help/building-agents/how-to-deploy)
* [Plans & pricing](/help/getting-started/pricing-overview)

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