First-time Setup

This guide walks you through setting up Klip after installation.

Prerequisites

Install at Least One AI CLI

Klip works with sessions from these CLI tools. Install at least one:

Agent	Install Command	Auth Command
Claude	npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code	claude login
Codex	npm install -g @openai/codex	codex login
Gemini	npm install -g @google/gemini-cli	gemini auth

Verify CLI Installation

Run the CLI Setup walkthrough to check what's available:

• Command: Klip: CLI Setup (klip.showWelcome)

Or manually verify:

claude --version
codex --version
gemini --version

Session Discovery

Default Locations

Klip automatically scans these directories:

Agent	Location
Claude	~/.claude/projects/
Codex	~/.codex/sessions/
Gemini	~/.gemini/tmp/

Custom Paths

If you have sessions in non-standard locations:

1. Open Dashboard > Settings > Paths & Discovery
2. Add paths to klip.additionalSessionPaths

"klip.additionalSessionPaths": [
  "/backup/ai-sessions",
  "/shared/team-sessions"
]

Cross-Environment Sessions

If you work in both Windows and WSL, Klip recognizes these as the same workspace:

• Windows: E:\myproject
• WSL: /mnt/e/myproject

Sessions from both environments appear together.

API Keys (Optional)

You don't need API keys to browse or resume sessions. Keys are only required for:

• AI Summaries - Generate session summaries
• Semantic Search - Find sessions by meaning

Quick Setup

1. Get a free Gemini API key from Google AI Studio
2. Run: Klip: Configure Gemini API Key
3. Select scope and restart daemon when prompted

This enables both summaries and semantic search with a single key.

Alternative Providers

Feature	Providers
Summaries	Gemini (API key) or Claude (CLI auth)
Embeddings	Gemini or OpenAI

See API Keys for detailed configuration.

Verify Setup

Open the Sidebar

1. Click the Klip icon in the Activity Bar
2. Your sessions should appear grouped by workspace

If sessions don't appear:

• Check that CLI tools are installed
• Verify session files exist in expected locations
• Run Klip: Recheck CLI Availability

Run Diagnostics

For a full system check:

• Command: Klip: Diagnose Environment (klip.diagnoseEnvironment)

This checks:

• CLI availability
• Shell configuration
• Daemon connectivity
• API key status

Next Steps

• Sidebar - Navigate your sessions
• Sessions Explorer - Search and filter
• Klip Panel - Multi-session workspace
• Dashboard: Settings - Configure Klip