---
title: "Core Quickstart"
url: "https://control.actana.ai/docs/get-started/core-quickstart"
description: "Turn your own machine into a Core and drive it from the same terminal — no Docker, no Panel, no pairing step."
updated: 2026-09-01T09:02:54+00:00
---

Turn your own machine into a **Core** and drive it from the same terminal. No Docker, no Panel, no pairing step. Linux (x64/arm64) or macOS on Apple silicon — on Windows, use [Docker Compose](/docs/get-started/docker-compose) or the [Client CLI](/docs/get-started/client-cli).

Install the Core bundle — this places it and stops, nothing runs yet:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/actana/control/main/install.sh | bash
```

Activate it, pinned to loopback so nothing on your LAN can reach it:

```bash
actana setup --public-host 127.0.0.1
```

Check it:

```bash
actana status
```

`setup` self-registers this Core with this machine's own `actana`, so there is no pairing step for this case. Confirm it is there and already selected:

```bash
actana core ls
```

Add a project — an absolute path to a repo on this machine:

```bash
actana project add myapp /path/to/your/repo
```

Start a session:

```bash
actana session start myapp "summarise this repo" --harness claude-code
```

Watch it:

```bash
actana session attach myapp
```

The Harness CLI itself (here `claude`) must be installed on this machine — `actana setup` offers each missing one, and `actana harnesses install <id>` adds one later. See [Harnesses](/docs/core/harnesses).

## Where to next

- `--public-host 127.0.0.1` puts loopback in the Core's certificate, so only this machine can ever pair to it. To reach this Core from a Panel or another machine, re-run `actana setup --public-host` with a routable address — details in [Actana Setup](/docs/install/actana-setup).
- What every command above actually did: [Install Core](/docs/install/install-core).
- Drive it from a browser instead: deploy a Panel ([Panel Installation](/docs/install/panel-installation)) and [pair](/docs/pairing).