First Steps

Get up and running with CoFounderBot in under 5 minutes.

1. Add Your API Key

CoFounderBot uses OpenRouter to access AI models (Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, etc.). You bring your own key — we never store it unencrypted.

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings
2. Paste your OpenRouter API key (`sk-or-v1-...`)
3. Click Validate to confirm it works
4. Click Save

Tip: $5 on OpenRouter covers approximately 50 missions. Start with the free models (Gemini Flash, Llama 3.3) to test without spending.

2. Create Your First Mission

1. Go to Dashboard → Missions
2. Click New Mission
3. Enter a clear description of what you want to build:

``` Build a REST API for a todo app with Express.js. Include CRUD endpoints, input validation, and error handling. Write tests with Jest. ```

1. Choose execution mode:

   • Plan & Execute — Director plans steps first, then agents execute them sequentially
   • Execute Only — Skips planning, gives the task directly to the best agent

2. Click Execute

3. Review the Output

After execution, you'll see:

• Preview tab — Rendered markdown output
• Files tab — Extracted code files with syntax highlighting
• Tools tab — Any tool calls made during execution (web search, etc.)

You can:

• Rate outputs 👍/👎 to train the agents over time
• Open in Editor to modify the generated code
• Export as ZIP to download the complete project

4. Explore the Editor

Click Open in Editor on any mission output, or go to Dashboard → Editor directly.

• Press `Cmd+K` (Mac) or `Ctrl+K` (Win) to open the AI command palette
• Use quick actions: Complete, Explain, Fix, Refactor, Review
• Chat with the AI in the side panel for more complex requests

Next Steps

• Understanding Missions →
• Using the Editor →
• Meet Your Agents →