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> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.tester.army/llms.txt.
> For full documentation content, see https://docs.tester.army/llms-full.txt.

# Getting Started

`testerarmy` (alias `ta`) is an agent-first QA runner. It works standalone for interactive use or as a skill for coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.

Your coding agent spawns testing agents to validate changes - keeping the feedback loop tight without polluting main agent context.

<video controls autoPlay loop muted playsInline>
  <source src="https://assets.testerarmy.com/tester-army-cli.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
</video>

## Install

```bash
npm install -g testerarmy
```

Or use without installing:

```bash
npx testerarmy --help
```

Both `testerarmy` and `ta` map to the same CLI.

## Agent skill (recommended)

If you use a coding agent, install the official skill for tighter integration:

```bash
npx skills add tester-army/cli
```

This gives your agent structured instructions for running tests, interpreting results, and iterating on failures.

Repository: [github.com/tester-army/cli](https://github.com/tester-army/cli)

## Authenticate

Run `ta auth` and paste your API key when prompted:

```bash
ta auth
```

Get your key from the TesterArmy dashboard under **Team Settings → API Keys**.

You can also pass the key directly:

```bash
ta auth --api-key YOUR_KEY
```

Or set it as an environment variable (useful for CI):

```bash
export TESTERARMY_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY"
```

## Verify

```bash
ta status
```

Use `--json` for machine-readable output:

```bash
ta status --json
```

## Sign out

```bash
ta signout
# or
ta logout
```

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local Development" icon="fa-duotone fa-laptop-code" href="/cli/local-dev">
    Run tests against your dev server.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>