Step 1: Your first 10 minutes

This step installs Agent Zero on a Windows 11 PC or a Mac. You download one app, start it, connect a free Gemini key, and give the agent one small job.

Agent Zero runs inside a Docker container with Host access off at the start, and while it stays off, the agent cannot see your real files.

After you download the file for your computer, the clicks are the same on Windows and Mac.

1. Download A0 Launcher v1.9

Open the official install page:

https://www.agent-zero.ai/p/docs/installation/

Download A0 Launcher v1.9 from that page, and pick the file for your computer: Windows has x64 and ARM64, and Mac has Apple Silicon and Intel.

What you should see a downloaded file whose name starts with a0-launcher-1.9. On Windows the file ends in .exe, and on a Mac it ends in .dmg.

2. Start the container

Open the file you downloaded, then open Launcher, and if Docker is not already running, follow the Docker setup prompt. If that window offers Continue, Refresh, or Add remote Instance, choose Continue, which sets up Docker on this computer.

On Windows, Docker setup may ask you to approve it and to restart, so say yes if it does. Do not run Agent Zero itself as an administrator.

When Launcher is ready:

1. Choose Download Agent Zero or Run Agent Zero.
2. Keep latest selected.
3. Keep the persistent workspace selected, so the agent's files stay inside the container.
4. Leave Host access off.
5. Click Create.
6. Wait until it says Running.
7. Click Open UI.

What you should see the word Running, then a web page after you click Open UI.

3. The page stays on your computer

Open UI opens a web page on this computer, at an address that looks like http://localhost:5080. The page is not open to the internet, and you should leave it that way.

What you should see a web page on this computer, port 5080, not open to the internet.

4. Connect a model

The agent will not answer your first message until two models are set:

• The Main model handles the conversation.
• The Utility model handles summaries, chat names, and memory.

Both can use the same provider.

Start with a free Google AI Studio key for Gemini, which you can get at Google AI Studio. You do not need a credit card or a billing account.

In the first-run setup, pick the cloud option that takes a key, choose Google for both the Main and Utility models, and put your key there. Do not paste the key into the chat.

Leave the embedding model on the local default, which runs on your computer and helps the agent find its own notes. Google may use free-tier prompts to improve its products.

What you should see Google chosen for the Main model and the Utility model, and the embedding model still on the local default. You can then type a message.

Or use a local model

To keep the model on your own computer, first install Ollama and download a model with Run a local model with Ollama.

In the first-run setup, pick Local model instead of the cloud option, then choose Ollama for both the Main and Utility models. Type each model name exactly as ollama list shows it, then click Finish setup.

Agent Zero runs in a container, so it reaches Ollama at http://host.docker.internal:11434, which is its default for Ollama. Leave that address as it is and do not change it to localhost, because inside the container localhost means the container itself.

What you should see a reply to a short message in the chat, and your model listed when you run ollama ps on your computer.

5. One safe job

Ask the agent to work inside the container. You can type:

Look up three current prices or facts on the web. Save a short comparison as a file in your own workspace. Do not touch my real computer.

The agent can use the browser inside the container, but do not log into email, your bank, or a store in that browser.

Watch the steps on the page as they appear. If the agent asks to turn on Host access, or to touch files on your real computer, click Stop.

What you should see the agent's steps on the page, then a short comparison saved as a file in its own workspace, inside the container.

6. Leave these off

After the models are set, email, WhatsApp, and Telegram may show up as optional cards. Skip them, and do not turn them on.

What you should see Host access still off, and no email, WhatsApp, or Telegram connection.

If you would rather paste a command

The clicks above are the path to follow, but if you would rather paste a command, use one of these.

On a Mac, open Terminal and paste:

curl -fsSL https://bash.agent-zero.ai | bash

On Windows, open PowerShell and paste:

irm https://ps.agent-zero.ai | iex

Do not open that window as an administrator.

If you set a username and no password, the installer's default password is 12345678, so set your own password.

When the command finishes, open http://localhost:5080, then go back to step 4, "Connect a model."

What you should see the command running in that window, then a web page on this computer. The port is 5080, or the next free port if 5080 is already taken.

When the comparison file is in the agent's workspace, continue to guide/03.