Configure

helios configure signs you in, picks a project, and can set up Helios Code. Progress is saved, so you can stop and come back.

helios configure is a guided setup that runs in your terminal.

helios configure

It runs in three steps. The third step is optional.

Paste your API key

Create an API key in the dashboard under Settings and then API keys. Paste it into the wizard. The CLI verifies the key against the server and saves it.

You can also sign in without the wizard.

helios auth login --api-key <key>

The key is stored in a named account. See helios auth list.

Pick your project

The wizard lists every project you can reach. Pick one with the arrow keys and press Enter.

Every later command runs inside this project. You can change it at any time.

helios project use <id or name>

See projects and access.

Choose what to do next

The last screen offers two choices.

Start using Helios opens the terminal app.
Set up Helios Code starts the coding agent wizard described below.

The Helios Code wizard

This part sets up a cloud coding agent. It has these steps.

Step	What happens
`harness`	Pick the coding harness. Claude Code is the only option.
`claude`	Connect your Claude account. The wizard opens a sign-in page. Paste the code it shows.
`github`	Connect GitHub. This step is optional. You can also authorize your own GitHub user for an org install.
`iac`	Set up images and environments. Choose one of three options below.
`launch`	Pick a ready environment and launch your first agent. The wizard shows boot logs and then attaches.

The iac step offers three options.

Scaffold a starter template. Writes a starter image and environment to ~/.helios/iac. Same as helios code iac scaffold.
Use my existing IaC files. Point the wizard at your own YAML with a glob.
Export current server config. Writes the images and environments already on the server as YAML. Same as helios code iac export.

Read IaC for the file format.

Resume and redo

Progress is saved to ~/.helios/onboarding.json. If you quit, run helios configure again and it continues where you stopped.

Once setup is complete, helios configure prints the status of each step. To run one step again, name it.

helios configure --redo iac

helios configure --redo launch

Non-interactive use

When there is no terminal, for example in CI, helios configure prints the onboarding status and exits. Sign in with helios auth login --api-key or set HELIOS_API_KEY instead.

Where things are stored

helios context path

This prints the config folder. Accounts, contexts, and the active project live there.