Quick Start

Get up and running with PandaOS in minutes.

Step 1: Get a PandaOS Subscription

PandaOS requires an active PandaOS subscription that includes Claude Code.

Option A, Claude Max (individual)

1. Go to claude.ai and sign up or log in
2. Go to Settings → Subscription
3. Upgrade to Max ($100/mo or $200/mo tier)
4. Claude Code is included with Max

Option B, Claude Teams (organization)

1. If you're the admin: go to Settings → Plans and upgrade to Teams ($30/user/mo)
2. If you're a member: ask your team admin to add you to the workspace
3. Claude Code is included with Teams

The base Teams seat will run out of tokens quickly with regular Claude Code usage. Ask your admin to upgrade you to a Premium seat for higher limits.

If you can't get a Max subscription, ask your team lead to set up a Teams workspace, it's often easier to get approved as a business expense.

Step 2: Install PandaOS

Download the latest release for your platform:

• macOS (Apple Silicon), PandaOS-arm64.dmg
• macOS (Intel), PandaOS-x64.dmg
• Windows, PandaOS-Setup.exe
• Linux, coming soon

Open the installer and follow the instructions.

macOS users: On first launch, macOS will block PandaOS because it is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate. This is expected, PandaOS does not have Apple code signing yet. To allow it:

1. Try opening PandaOS, macOS will show a warning dialog
2. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
3. Scroll down to the Security section, you'll see a message about PandaOS being blocked
4. Click Open Anyway
5. Launch PandaOS again, it will now open normally

You only need to do this once.

Step 3: Launch PandaOS

When you first open PandaOS, it checks for the Claude Code CLI.

If the CLI is already installed

PandaOS detects it automatically. You'll see a green checkmark in Settings → General → Claude CLI and you can skip to Step 4.

If the CLI is not installed

PandaOS shows a setup dialog with an Install button that handles everything for you, no terminal needed.

If you prefer to install it manually, use the commands below to install the stable release channel:

macOS / Linux / WSL:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s stable

Windows PowerShell:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1))) stable

Windows CMD:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd stable && del install.cmd

The stable channel installs a version that is about one week behind the latest release, skipping versions with known regressions. Auto-updates will also follow the stable channel.

Step 4: Log In to Claude Code

This is the only step that requires a terminal. You need to run claude once to authenticate and complete the first-time setup.

Open a terminal and run:

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

This will:

1. Open your browser to log in, sign in with the same account that has your Max or Teams subscription
2. Skip the permission prompts so you go straight through setup without interruptions

You only need to do this once. After logging in, return to PandaOS and click Refresh in the setup dialog.

The --dangerously-skip-permissions flag is only needed for first-time setup to bypass the interactive permission prompts. PandaOS manages permissions on its own after that.

PandaOS will show a "Log in to Claude Code" dialog with these same instructions if it detects the CLI is not authenticated.

1. Open your browser to log in — sign in with the same account that has your Max or Teams subscription
2. Skip the permission prompts so you go straight through setup without interruptions

Step 5: Start Building

Once authenticated, PandaOS opens the Dashboard. Click the New Project tile to open the New Project dialog, which has three options:

• Create New Project, start fresh in a new folder, empty or from a Project Starter
• Open Existing Folder, browse or drop an existing project folder
• Clone from GitHub, clone a Git repository

Pick one and you're ready to go.

Troubleshooting

Chat screen is blank or no messages arrive

If the chat view stays empty or white after sending a message, Claude Code CLI likely needs additional permissions that PandaOS cannot grant automatically.

To fix this:

1. Click the Terminal button (next to the Chat button) to switch to the terminal view
2. Look for any permission prompts in the terminal and accept them
3. Switch back to the Chat view, messages should now appear normally

This typically happens on first use or after a CLI update when new tools require explicit approval.

System Requirements