Terminal Setup

Note: This guide goes deeper than the standard setup. If you're installing ThinkingMach for the first time, start with the Installation guide — it covers the one-command install step by step.

ThinkingMach runs as a Node.js server. The onboarding command handles the full setup in one step.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 24 or later (nodejs.org — download the LTS version)
• pnpm (package manager)

node --version   # Should print v24.11.0 or higher

Step 1 — Install pnpm

npm install -g corepack
corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

Step 2 — Run the onboarding command

npx thinkingmach onboard --yes

This single command handles everything: downloads ThinkingMach, creates a configuration directory at ~/.paperclip/, initialises the embedded database, and starts the server at http://localhost:3100. The --yes flag accepts all defaults.

✓ Created config at ~/.paperclip/instances/default/config.json
✓ Initialised database
✓ Server running at http://localhost:3100
→ Opening ThinkingMach in your browser...

Run without --yes to go through the interactive setup and choose your deployment mode, database, and storage configuration.

Step 3 — Open ThinkingMach

ThinkingMach opens in your browser automatically. If it doesn't, navigate to http://localhost:3100.

To start ThinkingMach again after restarting your machine:

npx thinkingmach run

Deployment modes

The default mode (local_trusted) runs on localhost with no authentication — suitable for single-operator local use. For team access or public hosting:

Change the mode:

npx thinkingmach configure --section server

Advanced configuration

For persistent background runs, Docker deployment, external databases, and cloud hosting options, see the deployment overview.

You're set

ThinkingMach is running. You'll land in onboarding or at the start screen, where the next step is Create Your First Company.