Introduction

Get started with Talos, from the first command to your first mission.

Talos is a coding-agent harness: it brings models, tools and context together to work on your projects. This guide walks you through installation and setup.

Vascend Talos

CLI · SDK · Epoch–Lease–Lens

Before you start

Open a terminal on Windows, macOS or Linux. You need a Vascend account and access to a model provider. Credentials are configured during sign-in.

Install

Choose the method for your system. The official installers add Talos to PATH and install a verified Node.js LTS runtime when one is missing.

curl -fsSL https://vascend.it/install | bash

The scripts also install Node.js when needed. npm, Bun, pnpm and Yarn need a compatible runtime; npm requires Node.js 20 or later.

When done, open a new terminal if the installer asks you to, then run:

talos

Talos, also inside Horizon.

Talos is also available inside Horizon, Vascend’s desktop environment. Work with the agent through Horizon’s interface, or install the CLI to use it directly in your terminal.

Explore Horizon ↗

Configure

Follow the two steps shown by Talos. Confirm the code on the Vascend website, then connect a provider and choose a model. Cancel sign-in with Esc or Ctrl+C.

/login
/models

First mission

Enter your project folder, launch Talos and describe a concrete outcome. Add constraints and explain how to verify the work.

cd my-project
talos

Find the cause of the failing tests, fix it and verify the result. Preserve the public API.

Manage context

The epoch retains the active objective and mission constraints. Leases limit secondary focus over time. Lenses select useful information. Inspect the context while you work:

/context explain

Epoch: The active objective keeps work on course as you add clarifications.
Lease: Leases separate temporary attention from instructions that should last.
Lens: Use /context explain to inspect how context is assembled.

Updates

When we publish a new official version, Talos offers an update at startup. The prompt shows current version → new version and lets you choose. Releases are verified using npm signatures and SHA-512 integrity.

Read the changelog →

Customize

Define project rules in AGENTS.md and adapt Talos with skills, MCP tools, extensions and the SDK. Start with a small mission and check permissions before operating on files.