Set up with AI

Let an AI coding assistant walk you through the install, one step at a time.

Why it works

Edward’s repository carries its own operating guide, CLAUDE.md, written for AI assistants working in it. Its section “Helping someone set up Edward”, lists the steps in order: prerequisites, the setup script, your settings, the macOS permissions, starting him, choosing your password, and the optional features. An assistant that can run commands, such as Claude Code, can follow it with you, explain each step and fix what goes wrong.

What you need

  • A Mac with Apple silicon that can stay on
  • An AI coding assistant that can run terminal commands on that Mac: Claude Code, or a similar tool
  • An Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com (your assistant can show you where to make one)

Paste this to your assistant

Open your assistant in a terminal on the Mac that will run Edward (for Claude Code, run claude in your home folder) and paste:

I want to set up Edward, an open-source personal AI assistant, on this Mac.

1. Check that this Mac has Apple silicon, the Xcode command-line tools and Homebrew.
2. Clone https://github.com/ben4mn/meet-edward.git into my home folder.
3. Read the CLAUDE.md at the top of that checkout and follow its section
   "Helping someone set up Edward", one step at a time. Explain each step
   and confirm it with me before the next.

Never ask me to paste my Anthropic API key, a password or the setup code
into this chat: I will type them into ./setup.sh or .env myself.

If you already cloned the repository, open the assistant inside the meet-edward folder instead: Claude Code loads CLAUDE.md by itself there, so “Help me set up Edward” is enough.

What to expect

  1. It checks the prerequisites and installs what is missing (it will ask before it does).
  2. It runs ./setup.sh, which asks you for your name, your API key and your time zone. Type them into the setup script, not into the chat.
  3. It helps you grant only the macOS permissions you need, and starts Edward, usually with bash scripts/install-launchagents.sh so he stays on.
  4. You open http://localhost:3000 on the Mac and choose a password. The first visit also asks for a one-time setup code: read it yourself with cat backend/.setup_code.
  5. It checks the time zone and what works, using the app’s health report and the logs, then walks you through the optional features you want.

Keep your secrets out of the chat. What you paste into an AI assistant is sent to its provider. Your API key belongs in ./setup.sh or .env, and your password and setup code in Edward’s own sign-in page.

After setup

In the Edward tab, turn on the skills you want under Mind → Skills (every skill starts off), and check House → Locale. To reach Edward from your phone, see Using Edward from your phone.

The same assistant is a good partner for fitting Edward to your own home later: Adapting to your Mac has prompts written for it.