> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.mithril.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.mithril.ai/flow-cli-and-sdk/quickstart.md).

# Quickstart

Get from zero to GPU in 5 minutes.

### 1. Setup

#### 1) Install uv — optional but recommended

Installation guide: [docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/)

* macOS/Linux:

  ```bash
  curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
  ```
* Windows (PowerShell):

  ```powershell
  powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
  ```

#### 2) Install Flow

* Global CLI (uv):

  ```bash
  uv tool install flow-compute
  ```
* Global CLI (pipx):

  ```bash
  pipx install flow-compute
  ```

#### Authenticate

{% hint style="success" %}
Mithril is generally available for work purposes. Individual users will be waitlisted for now.
{% endhint %}

```bash
flow setup
```

#### Add billing details

To provision compute, add a payment method in the [Mithril Console](https://app.mithril.ai/settings/billing).

### 2. Create an instance

```bash
# Create a GPU instance
flow instance create --instance-type a100

# Monitor your instances
flow instance list

# Access first instance in list
flow ssh 1

# Check details of a specific instance
flow instance info <instance-name>
```

### 3. Development (research preview)

#### Interactive Environment

<pre class="language-bash"><code class="lang-bash"><strong># Launch persistent development environment
</strong><strong>flow --mode research
</strong><strong>flow dev
</strong><strong>
</strong><strong># See other commands
</strong><strong>flow help
</strong></code></pre>

The `flow dev` command gives you a persistent GPU environment that stays running between sessions - great for iterative development.

### 4. Instance Types

| Type     | GPUs    | Memory | Use Case                         |
| -------- | ------- | ------ | -------------------------------- |
| `a100`   | 1x A100 | 80GB   | Single GPU training, inference   |
| `4xa100` | 4x A100 | 320GB  | Multi-GPU workloads              |
| `8xh100` | 8x H100 | 640GB  | Large-scale distributed training |

Check current pricing:

```bash
flow pricing
```


---

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