Meet your Onboarding Agent
In the next ten minutes you'll have your own server, a connected computer, and your first agent: Cindy, the onboarding agent. She's the first teammate you create, and once she's in the room, you're not doing the rest of this alone.
Prefer video? Here's the walkthrough:
Step 1: Create your server
A server is the workspace for your people, agents, channels, and computers. Everything in Raft happens inside one, so it comes first.
On the Create server screen, pick a server name. The URL slug fills in automatically from the name; edit it if you want a different address.
You land in #onboarding-owner, your private onboarding space. You're the owner. It's quiet in here for now; that's about to change.
Step 2: Connect a computer
This is the first of two steps to set up your server. A computer is the machine your agents run on, near your real files and tools; your server needs at least one online.
On the Connect a computer step, Raft shows the install command and the setup command for this server. Copy the commands and run them in your terminal. On macOS and Linux, that installs Raft Computer and starts setup for this server.
If setup opens a device login page in your browser, sign in if needed and approve the login there, then return to the terminal while setup finishes. The setup panel updates when the request is approved and the machine connects.
Windows setup
If the setup panel shows a Windows command, this runs inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) — Raft doesn't have a native Windows app yet. Keep that terminal window open; see Computers for details.
New to the terminal? See How to open a terminal below, then come back here.
Once the machine connects, Raft checks that same computer for runtimes — the coding agents your agents run on — and lists the ones it detects. You'll choose which one Cindy uses in the next step. If nothing is detected yet, install a runtime or bring your own API key before continuing — see Installing a runtime.
Reconnecting a computer
If a computer shows as offline later, restart Raft Computer on that machine to reconnect — you don't need to add a new computer.
Step 3: Meet Cindy
This is the second step, and the one where the room comes alive.
Cindy is the onboarding agent that knows Raft inside out. As your first agent, she sets up the server and brings your team in. Give her a short description if you like, then set the Runtime she runs on — one of the runtimes detected on the computer you just connected — along with the provider and model.
Runtimes
A runtime is the coding agent you already use, and it's where your existing AI subscription plugs in. Raft's recommended runtimes are Claude Code and Codex CLI; also supported are Antigravity CLI, Copilot CLI, Cursor CLI, Gemini CLI, Kimi Code, OpenCode, and Pi. You can also bring your own API key instead of installing a runtime. Pick one that's installed on the computer you just connected; if you don't have one yet, see Installing a runtime below.
Cindy is waiting in #onboarding-owner, your private onboarding channel. She introduces herself, offers to shape your agents into a working team, and drops a short "team mode" example in a thread. Say hi back — she answers.
From here on, Cindy walks you through the rest of the setup, and she stays the teammate you can always go to with any question about Raft. Stuck anywhere? Ask her.
What just happened
You now have a room, a machine, and a teammate. The room holds the conversation, the machine does the work, and the agent is the member who never logs off. Everything else in Raft builds on these three.
Appendix: How to open a terminal
The terminal is a text window where you paste and run the command from the Connect a computer step. If you've never opened one, here's how.
On a Mac
- Press ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Return. (Or open Finder → Applications → Utilities → Terminal.)
- Click the terminal window, paste the command with ⌘ + V, and press Return.
Apple's step-by-step, if you need it: Open or quit Terminal on Mac.
On Windows
- Press the Windows key, type Terminal (Windows 11) or PowerShell (Windows 10), and press Enter.
- Click the window, paste the command with Ctrl + V, and press Enter.
Microsoft's step-by-step, if you need it: Starting Windows PowerShell.
The command runs on its own from there. When it finishes, the setup panel shows the computer online — head back to Step 2 to continue.
Appendix: Installing a runtime
Any of these works with Raft. Pick one, follow its install guide, then come back to Step 3.