Getting Started
Requirements
- Go 1.26+ if building from source
- An API key for at least one supported runtime provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini
Installation
Option 1 - Download Binary
Download the pre-built binary for your platform from the releases page.
| Platform | File |
|---|---|
| Linux (amd64) | bolt-cowork-linux-amd64 |
| macOS (amd64) | bolt-cowork-darwin-amd64 |
| macOS (arm64) | bolt-cowork-darwin-arm64 |
| Windows (amd64) | bolt-cowork-windows-amd64.exe |
Option 2 - Build from Source
git clone https://github.com/halukerenozlu/bolt-cowork.git
cd bolt-cowork
make build
# Binary is created at dist/bolt-cowork
Option 3 - Install via Go
go install github.com/halukerenozlu/bolt-cowork/cmd/bolt-cowork@latest
First Run
bolt-cowork --dir ./my-project "List all Go files"
If ~/.bolt-cowork/config.yaml does not exist, Bolt Cowork starts the TUI setup wizard. The wizard asks you to choose a provider and enter an API key. The key is stored in the system keyring, not in the config file.
After setup, Bolt Cowork will:
- Ask whether you trust the selected workspace directory
- Match relevant skills when needed
- Show you a plan
- Wait for your approval or revision
- Execute the task step by step
- Report the result
Runtime Providers
Bolt Cowork currently supports:
| Provider | Example models |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | claude-opus-4-6, claude-sonnet-4-6 |
| OpenAI | gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4.1 |
| Gemini | gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.0-flash |
You can switch models during a session with /model. Bolt Cowork auto-detects the provider from known model names.
Approval Modes
| Flag | Behavior |
|---|---|
--approval full |
Prompt for skill matching, plan approval, and steps |
--approval plan-only |
Prompt at the plan stage only |
--approval dangerous-only |
Prompt for dangerous execution steps |
--approval none |
Run without prompts |
The interactive /mode build shortcut maps to dangerous-only.
Common Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/help |
Show available commands |
/model |
Switch model and provider |
/key |
Manage provider API keys |
/config |
Inspect or adjust configuration |
/dir |
Change workspace directory |
/clear |
Clear conversation history and counters |
/skills |
Show loaded skills |
/skill <name> |
Inspect one skill |
/use <name> |
Activate a skill for the next task |
/mode |
Change approval mode |
/init |
Initialize project context |
In the TUI, press Ctrl+P for the same commands as a command palette, or type / directly into the chat input to get a live, filterable suggestion dropdown (↑/↓ to navigate, Tab to complete, Esc to dismiss without losing what you typed). The palette also exposes connect-provider (open the connection wizard for any provider), replace-credential (replace a stored API key after re-verifying it), and remove-credential (delete a stored API key) — available on both the welcome screen and inside a session.
Version History
| Version | Summary | Status |
|---|---|---|
| v0.1 | Core agent: sandbox, LLM provider, fallback chain, file operations | Done |
| v0.2 | Skill system: SKILL.md loading, keyword matching, prompt injection | Done |
| v0.3 | MCP client: JSON-RPC 2.0, tool discovery, permission profiles, resources, notifications | Done |
| v0.4.0 | TUI foundation with Bubble Tea, welcome screen, and split layout | Done |
| v0.4.1 | Agent integration, streaming output, plan widget, execution log, and command palette | Done |
| v0.4.2 | Palette overlay, grouped commands, ctrl+x chords, git status, and live right panel | Done |
| v0.4.3 | Modal system, setup wizard, keyring, animations, approval modal, and trusted directories | Done |
| v0.4.4 | Provider correctness, 4-step connection wizard, OpenRouter/DeepSeek/Mistral/Groq/Ollama/LM Studio support, SSE streaming, persistent sessions, native PDF merge/split | Done |
| v0.4.5 | TUI feedback fixes: no duplicate plan/result output for single-step runs, welcome-screen connection wizard, credential replace/remove, slash-command suggestions, one-entry-per-line list results | Done |