01 — Getting started
System requirements
What you need on the host before installing CoStaff.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | macOS 12+ / Ubuntu 20.04+ | macOS 14+ / Ubuntu 22.04+ |
| CPU | 2 vCPU (x86_64 or ARM64) | 4 vCPU |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Disk | 20 GB free | 50 GB free (room for agent workspaces and Docker images) |
| Python | 3.12 (installer handles it) | — |
| Docker | Engine 24+ / Desktop 4.30+ | — |
| LLM | Google API key, OpenAI-compatible endpoint, or local Ollama | — |
What's installed on your host
- Python 3.12 via Homebrew (macOS) or the
deadsnakesPPA (Ubuntu) — only used by thecostaffCLI itself. - Docker — Docker Desktop on macOS, Docker Engine on Ubuntu. All agents and channels run as containers.
- A virtualenv at
~/.costaff/.venv/with the CLI installed viapip install -e.
Where things live on disk
~/.costaff/costaff/— git clone of the main repo (CLI, Manager Agent, MCP core).~/.costaff/costaff-agent/<name>/— per-agent source &.env.~/.costaff/costaff-channel/<name>/— per-channel source &.env.~/.costaff/workspace/— bind-mounted into containers as/app/data; this is where agents read & write user files.
Local-first
CoStaff doesn't phone home. The only outbound call is to whatever LLM provider you configure — and even that becomes local if you point at Ollama or a self-hosted endpoint.