> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bastani.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Guides

> Task guides for everyday work with Atomic: interactive use, sessions, context, providers, local models, security, and containers.

# Guides

Guides answer "how do I do this task with Atomic" once Atomic is installed and authenticated.

New to Atomic? Start with the ordered onboarding path in the [Quickstart](/quickstart) instead — it installs Atomic, authenticates a provider, runs a first session, and adds project instructions. Come back here when you want to go deeper on one task.

Looking to extend or embed Atomic? Go to [Build with Atomic](/build). Looking up an exact flag, setting, event, or type? Go to the [Reference index](/reference).

## Recommended order

1. [Interactive use](/usage) — the interactive loop, slash commands, and context files.
2. [Configure Atomic](/guides/configuration) — write a settings file and override it per project.
3. [Sessions](/sessions) — save, resume, name, and branch sessions.
4. [Context and compaction](/compaction) — keep long sessions inside the context window.
5. [Providers](/providers) — subscription logins, API keys, and cloud providers.
6. [Local models](/llama-cpp) — run models locally with llama.cpp.
7. [Security](/security) — project trust and sandbox boundaries.
8. [Containerization](/containerization) — run Atomic inside a container.

For work that continues while you chat, follow [Background tasks](/background-tasks) to launch, inspect, and stop agents or shells. If you use Herdr panes, [Herdr](/herdr) explains Atomic's status indicators and troubleshooting.

## Start here

* [Quickstart](/quickstart) - install, authenticate, and run a first session.
* [Using Atomic](/usage) - interactive mode, slash commands, context files, and CLI reference.
* [Computer use](/computer-use) - work in desktop apps, browsers, and terminals across macOS, Linux, and Windows.
* [Providers](/providers) - subscription and API-key setup for built-in providers.
* [Environment variables](/environment-variables) - Atomic/Pi aliases, provider credentials, and bash session metadata.
* [Security](/security) - project trust, sandbox boundaries, and vulnerability reporting.
* [Containerization](/containerization) - sandbox Atomic with OpenShell, Gondolin, or Docker.
* [Settings](/settings) - global and project settings.
* [Keybindings](/keybindings) - default shortcuts and custom keybindings.
* [Sessions](/sessions) - session management, branching, and tree navigation.
* [Compaction](/compaction) - Verbatim Compaction, context management, and branch summarization.
* [Background tasks](/background-tasks) - run work in the background, inspect results, and stop owned tasks.
* [Herdr](/herdr) - report Atomic's working, blocked, and idle states in Herdr panes.