Installation

curl -fsSL https://axon.arclabs.it/install | bash

Installs Bun (if not already present) and Axon. Safe to re-run.

axon

On first launch Axon opens a browser to sign you in — press Enter, approve, and you are back in the terminal. It also clones Zeno, a real agent from the registry, so there is something to talk to immediately:

The Axon terminal after first boot, showing the braille logo, the agent @axon/zeno, its model, module and tool counts, and the input bar

That's it — you're live. Your account comes with free credits, so Axon Cloud is active the moment you sign in. No card, no config.

Pick a model

Press *. Everything you can run is in one list, grouped by route:

The model palette showing a recent model and four routes — axon, codex, openrouter and ollama — each with a one-line description of how it bills

The free credits cover the axon route, so you can pick a model and start talking right now. See Models for how the list is searched.

Powering your agent

Every agent needs a brain. Axon doesn't lock you into one — the free credits get you started, and when they run low you have options. Axon never sits between you and your inference; the Axon balance is only ever for Axon's own services (the managed Axon() provider, deployments, voice). Bring your own model and you may never touch billing at all.

  • Axon — managed inference, zero setup, works instantly. Free credits now, top up when you're ready.
  • OpenAI Codex — already pay for a Codex subscription? Connect it. Axon takes nothing.
  • OpenRouter — your own key, hundreds of models, provider rates with no markup.
  • Your own vendor key — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq and eight more, direct with your own key.
  • Ollama — run models on your own hardware. No API costs, nothing leaves your machine.

The two that need a credential are connected once, from the terminal:

The provider command group listing codex, described as OpenAI Codex subscription (BYOK), and openrouter, described as OpenRouter API key (BYOK)
:provider codex connect
:provider openrouter connect

Credentials are held in your account vault on the backend, not on this machine — which is what lets a deployed agent use the same connection, and why nothing needs re-entering when a token refreshes.

Ollama needs no connection at all: its route appears as soon as the daemon is running.

Already logged in and happy on Cloud credits? Skip straight to Your First Agent.