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Run your first agent

4 min read

This quickstart takes you from a fresh DevThrottle install to your first coding agent working on the board. It takes about ten minutes, and you will not need a command line. If you have not installed yet, do Install DevThrottle first - the installer also sets up Node.js and Claude Code for you if you let it.

Note
DevThrottle runs the coding agent; it is not one itself. You need an agent with its own sign-in - Claude Code is the simplest start, and if the installer set it up for you, the first-run wizard already walked you through signing in to it.

  1. Open DevThrottle

    Launch DevThrottle. You land on the Director board - empty on a fresh install, waiting for its first agent.

    Screenshot coming soonThe Director board on first launch, empty, with the control to start a new agent session
    The Director board on first launch, empty, with the control to start a new agent session

  2. Pick a project folder

    An agent works inside a folder on your machine. For a first run, a brand-new empty folder is perfect - there is nothing the agent can break, and you will see it create files from scratch. A real project works too; the agent edits files right there on your disk, so start somewhere low-stakes until you trust the loop.

  3. Start the agent

    From the board, start a new agent session: choose the agent you set up (for example Claude Code) and point it at your folder. A new card appears on the board for the session.

  4. Give it a task

    Talk to the agent like a person - plain English, no special syntax. A good first task is small and visible:

    Create a simple web page that shows the current time, then make it update every second.

  5. Watch the card, not the terminal

    While the agent works, its card shows Working - leave it alone. When it needs a decision from you, the card flips to Waiting on you. When the task is finished, it shows Done. That one glance is the whole point of DevThrottle: the board tells you where your attention is needed, so you never go hunting through windows to find out where things stand.

    Screenshot coming soonSession cards on the Director board showing the Working, Waiting on you, and Done states
    Session cards on the Director board showing the Working, Waiting on you, and Done states

  6. Answer when it asks

    When the card says Waiting on you, click it, read the agent's question, and answer right there. Approve, correct, or redirect - then the card goes back to Working and you go back to whatever you were doing.

Tip
Once one agent feels comfortable, start a second one in a different folder. Two cards, one board - this is where DevThrottle starts paying for the screen space, because you answer whichever card lights up instead of babysitting either window.

What is next

You have run the full loop: start an agent, give it work, answer when it needs you. From here:

  • Read the core concepts to see how the pieces fit - including the Gateway, which keeps your agents running after you close the window.
  • Learn what the Gateway does and why one always-on Windows PC is the hub your browser and phone connect through.
  • Try voice - answering an agent by talking instead of typing.