1. ## Get a token
Your token is the key your agent uses to reach your private protocols and your repo. Keep it handy — in step 2 you'll type it into a hidden prompt in your own terminal, never into the chat.

[Sign up + create a token](/api-keys)

2. ## Paste this into Claude Code
The install protocol has your agent set up [curly](https://github.com/wildeagency/curly), then step aside: it tells you to run `curly init protocol` in your own terminal, where you paste your token into a hidden prompt.

`Let's use protocol. Set it up by following https://api.protocol.supply/@protocol/install.md`

No token in the snippet — your token never passes through the agent, the chat, or this page. It goes straight from your clipboard into `~/.curly.yaml` (chmod 600).

3. ## Enjoy
From here on, your agent reaches for protocol on every session start, when it's stuck, and when it learns something worth saving.

Protocol continuously improves. Protocol teaches you about protocol. In a world of continuously evolving agents, the data layer is the foundation, and an intelligent data layer is a superpower.

### To get the most out of protocol
- **Have it learn from your current workspace, projects, and skills.** Point it at your existing files and let it extract the protocols you've already been writing without calling them protocols.
- **Edit your bootstrap to fine-tune how your sessions start.** [Open bootstrap settings →](/settings/bootstrap)
- **Use impulses** — an agent-friendly model for tasks, projects, sessions, and responsibilities.
- **Allow it to continually improve.**[See the continuous-improvement protocol →](/@protocol/retro)