Quickstart

This quickstart takes you from an empty terminal to a deployed Helix app: install the CLI, log in, scaffold a project, build with Claude Code, and ship it. Each step is one or two commands, with a recovery link if something fails.

Already know the CLI? Jump to the CLI reference.

Shortcut: let Claude set up your environment

Already have Claude Code installed? You can skip the manual setup entirely.

Before you start

Check all four before the clock starts:

1. Install the CLI

npm install -g @trayai/helix-cli

Prefer pnpm? pnpm add -g @trayai/helix-cli. You can also run one-off commands without installing: npx @trayai/helix-cli <command>.

Verify the install:

helix --version
which helix

You want v0.85.0 or greater. which helix prints a path inside your global npm bin directory.

If this fails, see Setup and install.

2. Log in

You can scaffold a project and build locally with Claude without logging in. Logging in is what lets you deploy, use authentications, and manage workspaces, so do it now.

Run this in a plain terminal, outside your Claude session:

helix login

This opens your browser. Sign in to Helix as you normally would.

If this fails, see Identity and access.

3. Create a project

helix init my-app
cd my-app
npm install

helix init scaffolds a complete project: helix.config.ts, sample functions, and the .mcp.json file Claude Code uses to discover the project’s tools. Project structure explains every file.

helix init takes four flags:

Pass . as the name to scaffold into the current directory: helix init .. If that directory isn’t empty, add --force.

4. Build with Claude

Start the agent inside the project:

claude

The first time you run Claude here it asks two things: whether to trust the folder, and whether to use the Helix MCP server. Say yes to both. The MCP server is how Claude reads the project and drives the CLI, so the workflow doesn’t work without it.

Then ask it to write code, wire up an authenticated service, run the app locally, or deploy. Building with Claude Code covers the workflow and prompting patterns.

5. Choose a workspace

Helix apps live inside a Tray workspace. Select one before deploying or using authenticated services:

helix workspace select

helix workspace select lists the workspaces you can pick from and saves your choice. If you already know the ID, set it directly with helix workspace set <id>.

You have to be a member of the workspace you deploy into. Your Tray contact tells you which workspace you’re provisioned in. If you don’t have a Tray contact yet, request access at helix.tray.ai. If you skip this step, the CLI prompts when a workspace is needed.

6. Run locally

helix dev

The dev server serves your app at http://localhost:3000, or the next free port if 3000 is taken. Read the startup output for the port it actually picked.

7. Deploy

helix deploy

The first deploy provisions the project. It asks which workspace to deploy into, then generates a project name and an AI-written description of what the app does. Every later deploy uploads a new artifact to the same project.

When it finishes, the CLI prints three things: the project ID, the live app URL (https://{project-id}.helix-app.ai), and a link to the project in the dashboard.

If this fails, see Runtime and deploy.

8. Open the dashboard

Every project, its deployments, and its execution logs live in the Helix dashboard. Open your app there to check deployment status, read logs, and set who can open the app on its Access Control tab.

Next steps

• Building with Claude Code: let the agent do more of the work.
• Project structure: what’s inside the project you just created.
• Troubleshooting: fixes when a step doesn’t go to plan.