Quickstart

Create an account, connect a repository, run your first spec task, and watch an agent open a pull request. Fifteen minutes, one engine.

This tutorial uses Helix Cloud and Claude Code. It picks one path and stays on it — no forks, no "or you could also". Once you've done this once, the Guides cover everything else.

1. Sign up

Go to app.helix.ml and sign in with Google. You'll be asked to create an organization name — this can be your company name or your own name for a personal workspace.

After signing in, complete the onboarding steps:

1. Create an organization — give it a name
2. Add an AI provider — the built-in Helix providers work on Cloud; or add your own Anthropic or OpenAI key under Account → AI Providers

2. Create a project and connect a repository

From the dashboard, click New Project.

Give the project a name that matches what you're building. On the Repositories tab, click Connect & Browse and follow the GitHub OAuth flow to authorize Helix. Once authorized, pick the repository you want the agent to work in.

Helix will index the repository for code intelligence — this runs in the background and takes a few minutes for large repos.

3. Write a spec task

Inside your new project, click New Task.

Write a one-paragraph description of what you want done. Be specific about outcomes, not implementation. For example:

Add input validation to the createUser form. Email addresses should be validated with a regex. Required fields (name, email) should show an inline error message when left blank on submit. No changes to the backend.

Click Save, then click Start Planning.

4. Review and approve the plan

The agent enters a planning loop. It reads your repository, analyses the codebase, and produces a step-by-step execution plan pushed to a helix-specs branch in your repository.

Read the plan. If something looks wrong, highlight the text and submit feedback — the agent will revise. When the plan looks right, click Approve.

5. Watch the implementation

After approval, the agent moves into a sandbox — an isolated Linux desktop with Zed IDE, a terminal, and a browser. You can watch it work live via the video stream in the task view, or switch away and come back later.

The agent makes commits on a working branch as it goes.

6. Open the pull request

When the agent finishes, click Open PR. This creates a pull request in GitHub from the agent's working branch. From here, follow your normal review process: run CI, request reviews, check the diff, and merge when you're happy.

If CI finds problems, go back to the task and tell the agent what failed — it will fix and push again.

What to do next

• Manage your backlog on the Kanban board — run multiple tasks in parallel
• Connect more repositories — GitLab and Bitbucket also work
• Choose a different code agent — Goose, Qwen Code, and Zed Agent are also available
• How the agent loop works — understand the model behind what you just did