From installed to your first result

Goal: complete one small, low-risk task and know where to find its result.

Before you begin

Follow the install guide. You need a running gateway, a connected console, and a helper configured to accept the role you choose. Setup screens do not buy model credits or make an unavailable provider start working.

Start and check

bitcadence start
bitcadence status
bitcadence helpers
mco gui

Expected: the console opens. If it shows Demo, connect to the gateway before submitting real work. An online helper is a useful signal; the proof is a completed task with a recorded result.

Submit a small task

Choose Ask for something.
Describe a bounded task, such as “Summarize the README and suggest three clearer headings.” Choose files your helper can access.
Choose Draft a plan and read each step. The planner uses predictable sentence rules, not a full understanding of your intent.
Remove unwanted steps or change the request and draft again. Add a final approval where you need a decision.
Choose Approve and start when the plan matches your intent.
Find the task on Home or Job board and open its details.

Ask for something covers repeats, conditional steps and the CLI equivalent. A saved YAML plan submitted with --file is real execution, not a preview. The text-based CLI Ask path still requires its first job to be approved after the initial plan confirmation, including with --yes.

Know when you are done

Look for a terminal success state and the recorded result or handoff. Open the referenced output. A green light or an empty queue alone does not prove the work was completed.

For waiting decisions, use Approvals. If no worker takes a job, check its role/instance, helper credentials and worker process in worker setup. Understand a failure before retrying; avoid duplicate jobs.

If you get stuck

bitcadence status --details
bitcadence fix

Expected: details describe the problem; Fix offers repairs. Read each repair before accepting it. Avoid --yes while learning the workflow.

The pause guide explains execution controls. Pausing can halt active attempts. Inspect affected jobs before retrying an interrupted action.