> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unify.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get the assistant running in your terminal in 5 minutes

## Prerequisites

* **Python 3.12+**
* **PortAudio** (for audio support)
  * macOS: `brew install portaudio`
  * Ubuntu/Debian: `sudo apt-get install portaudio19-dev python3-dev`
* **A [Unify](https://unify.ai) account** — sign up free, grab your API key from the dashboard
* **An LLM API key** — [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys) or [Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com/)

## Install

Unity depends on two sibling repos. Clone all three as siblings:

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/unifyai/unity.git
git clone https://github.com/unifyai/unify.git
git clone https://github.com/unifyai/unillm.git

cd unity
pip install uv && uv sync
```

## Configure

```bash theme={null}
cp .env.example .env
```

Open `.env` and fill in:

```bash theme={null}
UNIFY_KEY=your-unify-key
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...        # and/or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
```

Everything else has sensible defaults. The sandbox connects to Unify's hosted backend (`api.unify.ai`) for persistence — no local database needed.

## Run

```bash theme={null}
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m sandboxes.conversation_manager.sandbox --project_name Sandbox --overwrite
```

Select **Mode 1** (`SandboxSimulatedActor`) at the configuration prompt. This runs the full ConversationManager brain with simulated backends.

## Interact

Once the REPL starts:

```
> msg Hey, can you help me organize my upcoming week?
> sms I need to reschedule my meeting with Sarah to Thursday
> email Project Update | Here are the Q3 numbers you asked for...
```

Commands: `msg` (Unify message), `sms` (SMS), `email` (email), `call` (phone call), `meet` (video meeting). Type `help` for the full list.

## Going deeper

Mode 1 simulates everything to show the ConversationManager's orchestration. For the real CodeAct architecture (where the Actor writes and executes Python plans against the manager APIs), select **Mode 2** at the configuration prompt.

See the full sandbox docs at [`sandboxes/conversation_manager/README.md`](https://github.com/unifyai/unity/blob/main/sandboxes/conversation_manager/README.md).

## Next steps

* [Steerable Handles](/architecture/steerable-handles) — the core architectural pattern
* [CodeAct](/architecture/codeact) — how the Actor writes programs, not tool calls
* [Architecture overview](/architecture/managers) — the distributed manager system