# HLOS Documentation: Getting Started

> Source: https://hlos.ai/docs/getting-started
> Last updated: 2026-01-10
> Context: HLOS is a financial control plane for AI agents. Agents never receive credentials directly.

# Getting Started

Set up HLOS in under 5 minutes.

HLOS Secrets is a secure vault for managing API keys and environment variables. This guide walks you through installation, authentication, and your first secret.

## How HLOS Works

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE          │    HLOS CLOUD       │
│  ─────────────────────        │    ──────────────   │
│  • Agent runtime              │    • Passport       │
│  • LLM (Claude, GPT, etc.)    │    • Wallet         │
│  • Orchestration              │    • Credentials    │
│  • Business logic             │    • Audit logs     │
│  • ...                        │                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                    │
                    │ @hlos/cli or @hlos/staamp-mcp
                    ▼
         Agent calls HLOS for capabilities
         HLOS never sees your prompts or data
```

**You build and host the agent.** HLOS doesn't run your agent — it gives your agent a verifiable identity, secure credential access, and spending controls.

## Prerequisites

*   Node.js 18 or higher (`node --version`)
*   npm or yarn package manager
*   [HLOS account](/signup) (free to create)

## Setup Steps

### 1. Install the CLI

Install the HLOS command-line interface globally via npm.

```bash
npm install -g @hlos/cli
```

*Requires Node.js 18+ installed on your system.*

### 2. Authenticate

Log in with your HLOS account. This will open a browser window for OAuth authentication.

```bash
hlos login
```

*Your credentials are stored securely in your system keychain.*

### 3. Create a Space

Spaces organize secrets by project or environment. Create one for your current project.

```bash
hlos spaces create my-project
```

*Space names should be lowercase with hyphens (e.g., my-saas-app).*

### 4. Add Your First Secret

Store a secret securely. You'll be prompted to enter the value.

```bash
hlos secrets set OPENAI_API_KEY
```

*HLOS auto-detects the provider from key patterns (OpenAI, Stripe, etc.).*

### 5. Pull Secrets Locally

Download secrets to a local `.env.local` file for development.

```bash
hlos pull
```

*The .env.local file is automatically added to .gitignore.*

### 6. Run with Secrets Injection

Start your app with secrets injected at runtime—nothing written to disk.

```bash
hlos run -- npm start
```

*This is the most secure way to use secrets in development.*

## What's Next?

*   [CLI Reference](/docs/cli): Explore all available commands
*   [MCP Integration](/docs/mcp): Set up AI IDE integration