To use Exponent, we’ll need to set up your account and install the Exponent CLI, which will allow you to run Exponent chats on your codebase. Let’s begin.

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Setting Up Exponent

1

Log in to Exponent

Head over to exponent.run and sign up with your Google or Microsoft account.This will give you access to the Exponent web interface and prepare your account for CLI authentication.
2

Install the CLI

Install the Exponent CLI with a single command on your platform, or check out alternative installation methods if you prefer.
curl -LsSf https://exponent.run/install.sh | sh
This will automatically set up Python 3.12 using uv if needed and install Exponent for you.
3

Authenticate the CLI

After installation, you need to connect your CLI to your Exponent account by copying the login command from the Exponent onboarding screen that appears after you log in.If you don’t pass in a key, a browser tab will open to the onboarding screen.
exponent login --key <your-api-key>
4

Navigate to your project

Change to your project directory, which should be the root of a codebase you’re working on:
cd your-project-directory
5

Start Exponent

Run the following command to launch Exponent in your browser, connected to your codebase:
exponent run
If you see a screen that looks like the following with a “Connected” state in the center, you’re all set! Send Exponent a message with one of the examples in the UI, start working on a task, or check out the resources below.
Exponent connected state

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What’s Next?

Follow the Walkthrough

A guided tour of Exponent’s key features

Explore Features

Learn how to use Exponent’s features