> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://resumecontext.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Install, sign in, then create or join a project in about two minutes.

## Create a new project

You need **Node.js 18 or newer** and a coding agent that keeps its history on
this machine. See [`agents`](/docs/cli/agents) for the ones ResumeContext reads.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install the CLI">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    npm install -g resumecontext
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign in from this machine">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    resumecontext auth
    ```

    This opens your browser, starts the background sync service, and binds this machine, so every session
    it records is attributed to it. That is what lets your agent later tell you
    "this ran on your other laptop" or "Priya ran this, not you".

    <Warning>
      Run `auth` on every machine you work from. A machine that has not signed
      in cannot sync.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a project">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    cd ~/code/my-service
    resumecontext init
    ```

    Run this **inside the directory the project belongs to**. `init` creates the
    project and writes a marker file tying that directory to it, which is why
    there is no way to create a project from the website.

    It also starts the background daemon. From this point the directory's agent
    sessions sync on their own, roughly every 20 seconds. There is no sync
    command to remember.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your agent">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    cd ~/code/my-service
    resumecontext mcp
    ```

    Prints the MCP URL, your token, and a config block to paste into your
    agent. Add it **only to this project folder**, never to the agent's global
    MCP configuration. See [Connect your agent](/docs/connect-your-agent) for the
    folder-level instructions for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and opencode.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Check it worked

Ask your agent something only the archive knows:

```
what did we work on most recently in this project?
```

If it answers with real sessions and dates, you are set. If it says it has no
memory of previous conversations, the MCP server is not connected. Check
[Connect your agent](/docs/connect-your-agent).

<Note>
  Just installed, and the archive looks empty? The first sync runs within about
  20 seconds of `init` and uploads what your agents have already recorded in
  that directory. [`resumecontext sync`](/docs/cli/sync) forces it immediately.
</Note>

## Join an existing project

Use this flow when someone has invited you to their project and you have a
local clone containing its `.resumecontext.json` marker.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    resumecontext auth
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Accept the invite">
    From the project directory, accept with the CLI:

    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    resumecontext accept
    ```

    Or accept it in the [dashboard](https://resumecontext.com/dashboard).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sync once from your local clone">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    cd ~/code/the-shared-project
    resumecontext sync
    ```

    This first local sync associates this clone with the daemon and uploads
    its existing agent history. Future syncing is automatic.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your agent in this clone">
    ```bash theme={"theme":"nord"}
    resumecontext mcp
    ```

    Configure the MCP server only for this project folder. Do not add it to a
    global agent configuration. Follow the per-agent instructions in
    [Connect your agent](/docs/connect-your-agent).
  </Step>
</Steps>

Do not run `init` in an invited clone. `init` creates a new project when no
marker is present. See [Teams and access](/docs/concepts/teams).

## Where to next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What your agent can do" icon="wrench" href="/docs/mcp/overview">
    The six tools ResumeContext adds, and how to ask for them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Syncing and freshness" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/docs/concepts/sync">
    What gets captured, how often, and what lags.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>