Get started
Start using Halo in four steps: install the app, connect an AI model, finish a first real task, and learn the layout. Each step says what you should see.
This page is the route map. You do the first two steps (installing and connecting a model) yourself. From step 3 on, you can ask Halo anything you're unsure about: it reads these docs to answer you.
Before you start
- A computer: macOS 12 or later (Apple silicon or Intel), Windows 10 or later (64-bit), or 64-bit Linux with glibc 2.34 or later. Full requirements are in Install Halo.
- An internet connection: you need it to download Halo and to sign in to an AI account.
- A way to use AI. Any one of these works:
- a paid Claude, ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot account you already have;
- an API key (from your company, or one you created on a provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek or OpenRouter);
- nothing yet: the sign-in screen also offers free options, and step 2 helps you choose.
Halo itself is free and open source. Model usage is billed by the account or API provider you connect.
Four steps
| Step | What you do | What you see when it's done |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Install Halo | Download, install and open Halo | "Let's set things up" |
| 2. Connect an AI model | Pick a sign-in option, or enter an API key | "What do you want to do today?" |
| 3. Your first task | Ask Halo for a real file in one sentence | A new file in the panel on the right |
| 4. A tour of Halo | Learn the left rail, the conversation view, the task panel and Settings | You know where everything lives |
On Windows, the first launch adds one screen, "First-time setup required", which installs a command environment for the AI. Keep the default option and click Continue. Details are in Install Halo.
Done
After the four steps you have a Halo connected to an AI model, a first file Halo made for you in the Halo Workspace, and you know where conversations, Digital Humans, the knowledge base, the Store, tasks and Settings are.
Next steps
- Create a Digital Human: let AI do recurring work on its own, such as a news summary every weekday morning.
- Digital Human teams: one sentence gets several Digital Humans to split up a bigger job.
- Use cases: ready-made requests grouped by job, to copy into Halo.