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

# Quickstart

> Log in, create your first Agent, and give it an Ability, in a few minutes.

This walks through the fastest path to a working Agent: log in, create an Agent from a template, and start talking to it. Once it's talking, you can give it an Ability so it can act on your requests too. For the full reference to every dashboard screen, see [Dashboard](https://docs.openhome.com/dashboard.md).

**1. Log in**

Go to [app.openhome.com](https://app.openhome.com) and sign in with your email and password, or continue with Apple or Google.

![OpenHome login screen](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/login-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=868cce29e7e4d4d926ed39965336df8e)

New to OpenHome? Click **Sign up** to create an account: a username, name, email, and password are all it takes.

![OpenHome sign-up screen](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/XcvgSqJk5cSoYCV9/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/signup-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=XcvgSqJk5cSoYCV9\&q=85\&s=c2baaa308fa35bd4ce921e5852c8f187)

**2. Find your way around**

The **Dashboard** is your home screen. The sidebar on the left holds **Agents**, **Abilities**, **Voices**, **AI Twin**, and **OpenHome DevKit**, with **Create** and **Discover** (Marketplace) grouped below them.

![OpenHome dashboard with sidebar expanded](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/XcvgSqJk5cSoYCV9/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/sidebar-nav-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=XcvgSqJk5cSoYCV9\&q=85\&s=8061849a21ead854338c03382f52d8ac)

On a new account the Dashboard opens with a **Quick-start Guide** listing three steps: **Connect device**, **Create an agent**, and **Add ability**. Once you have created something it is replaced by **Insights**, which counts your published Agents and active Abilities. This page covers creating an Agent and adding an Ability. For connecting hardware, see [What is OpenHome DevKit](https://docs.openhome.com/devkit/what-is-devkit.md).

**3. Create an Agent**

On a new account, click **Create** on the **Create an agent** card. Otherwise go to **Create → Create New** in the sidebar and pick **Agent**. Either way you'll be asked how you want to build it:

![Create Agent dialog: Design with AI or Pick from a Template](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/create-agent-modal-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=57af908435d274e36be6c19fe0671e00)

* **Design Agent with AI**: describe the Agent you want in your own words and it's built for you.
* **Pick from a Template**: start from a pre-configured personality and customize it. This is the fastest path, and the one this guide follows.

Templates are grouped by theme: **Famous People**, **Home**, **Companion**, **Role Play**, **Education**, and **Games**. Pick one, for example **Hearth** (a smart home assistant) or **Kindred** (a companion), to open the Agent workspace.

![Choose a template for your Agent](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/agent-templates-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=0d2ef78a18d7bdd4347268ef0c06560c)

The workspace has an AI chat pane on the left for describing changes in plain language, and an editable form on the right with everything the template pre-filled: avatar, name, visibility, category, starting message, description, voice, and model. Sections marked with a red dot have required fields still to fill in. A section header gets a checkmark once it's complete.

![Agent Information section of the Agent workspace](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/agent-workspace-info-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=0381ef294ce624cb09f1a3cbf3d2e64c)

![Behavior and Identity section of the Agent workspace](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/agent-workspace-behavior-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=a61c04faa958af7b5237b520ea5c5850)

At minimum, give it a name, a description, and a category, then click **Save Agent**.

**4. Talk to your Agent**

Saving opens your new Agent's conversation view, with Agent Settings (Conversation, Behavior, and Identity controls) on the right. Type a message or use voice to try it out immediately. This is the core experience: a working Agent you can talk to right away.

![Agent conversation view with Agent Settings](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/agent_conversation-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=0324c662ae83d978c6d174f7675c1ac4)

**5. Give it an Ability**

Talking is what your Agent does by default. To have it do more, such as controlling a device, looking something up, or running a task, give it an [Ability](https://docs.openhome.com/ability.md). On a new account, click **Create** on the **Add ability** card. Otherwise go to **Create → Create New** in the sidebar and pick **Ability**. As with Agents, you choose between designing one with AI or starting from a template.

![Create Ability dialog: Design with AI or Jumpstart with template](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/create-ability-modal-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=35973b36e5ab1bb8855b30e46a201ab6)

Templates here map directly to the ones in the [OpenHome Abilities repository](https://github.com/openhome-dev/abilities). They include Music Player, Wikipedia, OpenClaw, Smart Home, and Hermes, among others.

![Jumpstart with an Ability template](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/ability-templates-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=52da2079a93d0f49610ad8c595d5e958)

Pick one, give it a name, and review the trigger words that activate it by voice, then confirm.

![Naming an Ability and reviewing its trigger words](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/ability-name-triggers-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=17b987796e20617ba6d3e28a17154466)

This opens the **Live Editor**: the Ability's code on one side, and Settings, Triggers, and Local Abilities controls on the other, with **Start Live Test** to try it by voice right there. For everything the Abilities page can do, see [Abilities](https://docs.openhome.com/ability.md).

![Live Editor for a newly created Ability](https://mintcdn.com/algoryc/-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4/openhome_icons/dashboard_v2/ability-live-editor-light.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=-5RC5i9bPpqE7jH4\&q=85\&s=01388194b1c90d5f2b0999e435f71c05)

## Next steps

> [card] [Connect a device](https://docs.openhome.com/devkit/what-is-devkit.md)
>
> Pair an OpenHome DevKit or your own Raspberry Pi to run your Agent on real hardware.

> [card] [Build a custom Ability](https://docs.openhome.com/building-abilities/how-to-build.md)
>
> Go beyond templates and write your own Ability in Python.

> [card] [Full dashboard reference](https://docs.openhome.com/dashboard.md)
>
> Every screen, setting, and control in one place.

> [card] [Marketplace](https://docs.openhome.com/marketplace.md)
>
> Publish what you built, or install Agents and Abilities others have shared.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.