Getting started
Install OpenCognit, set up your CLIs and open your first project.
What you need
- Linux or Windows
- At least one coding CLI with its own access, e.g. Claude Code (Claude subscription) or Kimi Code. Others: OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, Hermes Agent (with a model provider such as OpenRouter).
- git, if you want to use the Git features
OpenCognit does not ship any CLI. It detects installed CLIs automatically; each CLI keeps updating
itself (e.g. hermes update).
Install
Download the installer from the website: on Linux the AppImage (make it executable and run it) or the .deb package, on Windows the setup installer.
Setup assistant
On first launch an assistant guides you through four steps: language and theme, coding agents, privacy, first project. For agents it shows which CLIs were found, starts the login if needed and gives the official install command for missing CLIs.
Open your first project
Click + next to the grid, pick a project folder and a CLI — the agent starts right in that folder. The folder is added as a workspace in the sidebar.
Enter your license (optional)
Without a license the free tier runs (4 agents at the same time, 2 workspaces). After purchase, paste the key from the email under Settings → License. See License & updates.
Linux: many agents at once watch many files. If your system reports that too many files are being
watched, the setup assistant shows the matching sysctl command to raise
fs.inotify.max_user_instances.