Overlord AI

1. Download the desktop app

The desktop app supervises the local backend, follows your repositories, and launches agents on your machine.

Download the latest build from the OpenOverlord releases page.
Install it like any native app, open it, and create an account with an email and password.

Your account hosts your projects, missions, and delivery history.

2. Install the CLI

The ovld CLI is the terminal-first interface agents and humans use to talk to Overlord.

npm install -g --no-fund overlord-cli

3. Configure the CLI

Run the guided setup to point the CLI at your backend, log in, install agent connectors, and pick the terminal used for launched agents:

ovld setup

For local mode, setup uses the desktop/local backend at http://127.0.0.1:4310. Confirm everything is reachable:

ovld doctor
ovld config list

4. Create a project and link your repo

Create a project and link the repository you want Overlord to manage. You can do this from the desktop app, or from the terminal:

# Create a project pointed at your repo directory
ovld create-project --name "My App" --directory /path/to/your/repo

# Or, from inside the repo, link the current directory to a project
ovld add-cwd --primary true

Overlord writes a .overlord/project.json file in the linked directory so future commands resolve the project automatically.

5. Install the agent connector

A connector lets your coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor) speak the Overlord protocol and receive mission context automatically. Install one — ovld setup may have already done this for you:

# See what connectors are available
ovld agent-setup

# Install one connector
ovld agent-setup claude

# Or install every supported connector
ovld agent-setup all

Re-run ovld agent-setup <agent> any time to repair or update it. See the Agent plugins guide for the details.

6. Start the runner

Run the local runner so queued work — from a Run click or auto-advance — launches an agent automatically:

ovld runner start

7. Create your first mission and launch

Create a mission in the desktop app, pick your preferred agent, and click Run. In a few moments the agent opens in your terminal and begins working. Agents launched by Overlord use your existing Claude / Codex / Cursor subscriptions.

Prefer the terminal? Create a mission and launch an agent on it directly:

# Create a simple one-objective mission
ovld create "Add a health check endpoint"

# Launch an agent on it (prints the mission id, e.g. 1:1042)
ovld launch claude --mission-id 1:1042

8. Review the results

When the agent delivers, inspect what it produced before anything lands:

# Read the delivery summary
ovld mission deliveries 1:1042

# See every file change with its rationale
ovld changes rationales --mission-id 1:1042

Quick Start