> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://nouisi-keel.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> From install to your first promise in five minutes.

The commands below work in the Keel shell (run `keel`) without the prefix, or with `keel` in front in any terminal.

**1. Open Keel**

```bash theme={null}
keel
```

You're in the Keel shell. It opens on `today`, which is empty for now and suggests the first two commands.

**2. Add a client and a project**

A client is who the work is for, or any area of your life. A project is one piece of work inside it.

```text theme={null}
client new acme "Acme Corp"
project new acme/website "Website rebuild"
```

Keel answers `You are now working on acme/website`. New items land in the project you're working on.

**3. Capture a promise you made**

```text theme={null}
owe send pricing deck @ravi due:thu
```

`@ravi` is the person (created as you go) and `due:` takes `today`, `tomorrow`, a weekday, `+3d` or a date. Keel answers with a ref: `c1`.

**4. Capture a promise made to you**

```text theme={null}
wait design files @meera due:fri
```

**5. Pick today's focus**

```text theme={null}
focus c1
today
```

**6. Close the loop**

```text theme={null}
done c1
```

> [!TIP]
>
> Press Tab at any point. After `owe send deck` Keel suggests people, then due dates, then where the promise came from.

## Where to go next

> **[The ideas](/concepts)**
>
> What clients, projects, refs and resume notes are.

> **[A normal day](/guides/a-normal-day)**
>
> Capture, focus, follow up, close.

> **[Meetings](/guides/meetings)**
>
> Capture promises as they come up.

> **[Switching projects](/guides/switching-projects)**
>
> Restart in two minutes, not thirty.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.