Quickstart (CLI)

Get up and running with the Cua Agent CLI in 4 simple steps.

Introduction

Cua combines Computer (interface) + Agent (AI) for automating desktop apps. The Agent CLI provides a clean terminal interface to control your remote computer using natural language commands.

Set Up Your Computer Environment

Choose how you want to run your Cua computer. Cloud Sandbox is recommended for the easiest setup:

Easiest & safest way to get started - works on any host OS

Go to trycua.com/signin
Navigate to Dashboard > Containers > Create Instance
Create a Medium, Ubuntu 22 container
Note your container name and API key

Your cloud container will be automatically configured and ready to use.

Run Linux desktop locally on macOS, Windows, or Linux hosts

Install Docker Desktop or Docker Engine
Pull the CUA XFCE container (lightweight desktop)

docker pull --platform=linux/amd64 trycua/cua-xfce:latest

Or use KASM for a full-featured desktop:

docker pull --platform=linux/amd64 trycua/cua-ubuntu:latest

Windows hosts only - requires Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise or Windows 11

Enable Windows Sandbox
Install pywinsandbox dependency

pip install -U git+git://github.com/karkason/pywinsandbox.git

Windows Sandbox will be automatically configured when you run the CLI

macOS hosts only - requires Lume CLI

Install lume cli

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trycua/cua/main/libs/lume/scripts/install.sh)"

Start a local Cua macOS VM

lume run macos-sequoia-cua:latest

Install Cua

Install uv

# Use curl to download the script and execute it with sh:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# If your system doesn't have curl, you can use wget:
# wget -qO- https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Use irm to download the script and execute it with iex:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Install Python 3.12

uv python install 3.12
# uv will install Cua dependencies automatically when you use --with "cua-agent[cli]"

Run Cua CLI

Choose your preferred AI model:

OpenAI Computer Use Preview

uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli openai/computer-use-preview

python -m agent.cli openai/computer-use-preview

Anthropic Claude

uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-opus-4-20250514
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-opus-4-1-20250805
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

python -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929
python -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-opus-4-1-20250805
python -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-opus-4-20250514
python -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514
python -m agent.cli anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Omniparser + LLMs

uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli omniparser+anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli omniparser+openai/gpt-4o
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli omniparser+vertex_ai/gemini-pro

python -m agent.cli omniparser+anthropic/claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
python -m agent.cli omniparser+openai/gpt-4o
python -m agent.cli omniparser+vertex_ai/gemini-pro

Local Models

# Hugging Face models (local)
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli huggingface-local/ByteDance-Seed/UI-TARS-1.5-7B

# MLX models (Apple Silicon)
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli mlx/mlx-community/UI-TARS-1.5-7B-6bit

# Ollama models
uv run --with "cua-agent[cli]" -m agent.cli omniparser+ollama_chat/llama3.2:latest

# Hugging Face models (local)
python -m agent.cli huggingface-local/ByteDance-Seed/UI-TARS-1.5-7B

# MLX models (Apple Silicon)
python -m agent.cli mlx/mlx-community/UI-TARS-1.5-7B-6bit

# Ollama models
python -m agent.cli omniparser+ollama_chat/llama3.2:latest

Interactive Setup

If you haven't set up environment variables, the CLI will guide you through the setup:

Sandbox Name: Enter your Cua sandbox name (or get one at trycua.com)
CUA API Key: Enter your Cua API key
Provider API Key: Enter your AI provider API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)

Start Chatting

Once connected, you'll see:

💻 Connected to your-container-name (model, agent_loop)
Type 'exit' to quit.

>

You can ask your agent to perform actions like:

"Take a screenshot and tell me what's on the screen"
"Open Firefox and go to github.com"
"Type 'Hello world' into the terminal"
"Close the current window"
"Click on the search button"

For running models locally, see Running Models Locally.

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