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Step 1: Install nao-core package

pip install nao-core
Drive setup from your agentic CLI. If you use Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or any other agent that loads SKILL.md files, you can install the published nao skills and have the agent walk you through Steps 2–6 interactively:
nao skills add getnao/nao
Then ask the agent to “use the setup-context skill”. See Skills for what each one does and when to use it.

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Step 2: Initialize a nao project

nao init
This command will ask you:
  • To name your project
  • If you want to connect a database (optional)
  • If you want to add a repo in agent context (optional)
  • To add an LLM key (optional)
  • If you want to setup a Slack connection (optional)
You can skip any optional question and configure them later in your nao_config.yaml file.

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Non-interactive mode

For CI pipelines or agentic workflows (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex), run nao init without any prompts: 
nao init --yes
FlagDescription
--yes / -y / --no-ttySkip all prompts and use defaults
--name / -nSet the project name from the CLI
In --yes mode:
  • If nao_config.yaml already exists, it is reused as-is and only the folder structure is scaffolded.
  • If no config exists, a minimal one is created with the project name (from --name or the current directory name).
  • Databases, LLM, and integrations are not configured. Edit nao_config.yaml afterward or use the setup-context skill.
This will create:
  • A new folder with your project name
  • An architecture for your context files
  • A nao_config.yaml configuration file
  • A RULES.md file
  • A tests/ folder with a starter test_example.yml test file

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Step 3: Verify your setup

cd to the project folder and run: 
nao debug
This command checks your configuration and displays any issues.

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Step 4: Synchronize your context

nao sync
This will populate your context folder with your context files (data, metadata, repos, etc.).

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Step 5: Launch the chat and ask questions

You have two options to access the chat UI:

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Option 1: Using nao chat command

nao chat
This will start the nao chat UI. It will open the chat interface in your browser at http://localhost:5005.

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Option 2: Using Docker

Instead of nao chat, you can use Docker to run the UI: With built-in example: 
docker run -d \
  --name nao \
  -p 5005:5005 \
  -e BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:5005 \
  getnao/nao:latest
With your project: 
docker run -d \
  --name nao \
  -p 5005:5005 \
  -e BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:5005 \
  -v /path/to/your/project:/app/project \
  -e NAO_DEFAULT_PROJECT_PATH=/app/project \
  getnao/nao:latest
Access the UI at http://localhost:5005 and add your LLM API key in the settings. From there, you can start asking questions to your agent!

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Step 6: Evaluate your agent

nao init scaffolds a starter test file at tests/basic_arithmetic.yml. You can add more test files with questions and expected SQL in YAML format, then measure your agent’s performance: 
nao test
View results in tests panel: 
nao test server

Evaluation Guide

Learn how to build comprehensive test suites and evaluate your agent

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What’s Next?

Skills

Install five published skills to let your agentic CLI automate setup, rules, tests, and audits

Context Builder

Learn how to build and customize your agent’s context

Self-Hosting

Deploy your agent in production

Chat Interface

Explore the chat interface features

nao Cloud

Use our managed cloud service