Anima

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Run your first agent ​

This guide ends with a named agent you can message in Slack or Feishu. The setup happens once on a Mac or Linux machine you control. Teammates do not install Anima themselves.

Before you start ​

You need:

  • Node.js 20 or newer. The installer uses Node and npm to download the managed runtime.
  • One supported provider CLI, installed and signed in. Use Claude Code, Codex CLI, Kimi CLI, Grok Build, or OpenCode. Set up a provider before starting Anima.
  • A Slack workspace or Feishu tenant. You must be allowed to add an app. A test environment is enough for evaluation.

Anima uses the provider's existing local login. Do not paste a Claude, Codex, Kimi, Grok Build, or OpenCode login credential into Anima or team chat.

1. Install and start Anima ​

bash
curl -fsSL https://anima.meetquinn.ai/install.sh | sh

The command installs the managed runtime under ~/.anima/runtime/current, starts the local services, and opens the dashboard. If the browser does not open, go to http://127.0.0.1:4174.

The URL is for local access, but the managed listener binds all interfaces by default and may also be reachable from your local network. See Runtime and services to narrow dashboard exposure. Anima does not create a hosted account or upload your runtime state to an Anima service.

2. Choose the team chat ​

The first screen asks Where does your team work? Choose Slack or Feishu. Anima remembers the choice and uses the matching setup sequence for new agents.

3. Create the agent ​

Enter:

  • a name teammates will recognize;
  • a role that states what the agent owns; and
  • the provider, model, and reasoning level it should use.

Anima checks the host for the provider executables on PATH. A missing provider cannot be selected. The default agent home is shown under Where it lives; leave it unchanged for the first agent unless you already have a team directory plan.

Select Create agent. The agent now exists locally but cannot receive team messages until its chat app is connected.

4. Connect the chat app ​

Follow the setup path you chose:

  • Connect Slack: create the generated Slack app, install it, and paste its App-Level and Bot User tokens into the dashboard.
  • Connect Feishu: let Anima create the app, confirm it in Feishu, then authorize and publish the recommended permissions.

Secret token fields belong in the dashboard setup form, not in a DM, channel, issue, or terminal transcript.

5. Start the first conversation ​

For Slack, pick the agent's owner after the connection succeeds. The agent sends that person a DM and begins onboarding.

For Feishu's automatic app-creation path, the person who confirms the app becomes the owner and receives the onboarding conversation. If you connect an existing Feishu app instead, start the first conversation yourself; that fallback does not know which person should receive an automatic greeting.

Reply with a real responsibility, repository, or first task. The agent's Activity view should show the incoming message and provider work.

Verify the installation ​

You are done when all four are true:

  1. The dashboard lists the agent without a provider warning.
  2. The Profile tab shows Slack or Feishu as connected.
  3. A message to the agent appears in Activity.
  4. The agent replies in the same chat surface.

If provider setup fails, use Provider setup and identity. If the app connection fails, return to the agent's Profile tab and use the Slack or Feishu connection section there.

Next ​