> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://tester.army/docs/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://tester.army/_mcp/server.

# Getting Started

`testerarmy` (alias `ta`) is an agent-first control plane for the TesterArmy dashboard. Use it to manage projects, environments, credentials, and saved tests, and to queue remote runs that execute in TesterArmy cloud. It works standalone for interactive use or as a skill for coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode.

Your coding agent orchestrates dashboard-managed QA to validate changes - keeping the feedback loop tight without polluting main agent context. Local browser execution is available for quick ad hoc checks.

## Install

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

Or use without installing:

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

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

## Agent workflow

Agents can discover the full flow from `ta --help`. The usual path is:

```bash
ta auth
echo '{"name":"Example","url":"https://example.com","projectType":"web"}' | ta projects create --json
ta projects list --json
ta projects environments-create <projectId> --name Staging --url https://staging.example.com --json
echo '{"category":"site_structure","title":"Auth route","content":"Login is at /login","importance":"high"}' | ta memories create --project <projectId> --json
ta memories delete <memoryId> --project <projectId> --json
echo '{"title":"Login flow","steps":[{"title":"Navigate to /login","type":"act"},{"title":"Dashboard loads","type":"assert"}]}' | ta tests create --project <projectId> --json
ta tests run <testId> --wait --json
ta tests run <testId> --env staging --wait --json
```

`ta tests run` queues a remote run in TesterArmy cloud by default; pass `--local` to execute in a local browser instead.

## 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 **Profile → API Keys**.

For API key troubleshooting and Bearer token examples, see [API Keys](/auth/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

#### [Local Development](/cli/local-dev)

Run tests against your dev server.

#### [Agentic Usage](/cli/agentic-usage)

Give your coding agent the CLI and let it create projects, memories, tests, and runs.

#### [Environments](/guides/environments)

Create stable staging or QA targets for remote runs.