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This guide is for local development. To deploy on a server, see Docker Compose.

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Prerequisites

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Step 1: Clone and install

git clone https://github.com/NousC/nous.git
cd nous
pnpm install

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Step 2: Configure environment

cp .env.example .env
Open .env and fill in: 
# Supabase — Settings → API
SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your-service-role-key
VITE_SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
VITE_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your-anon-key

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Generate with: node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('hex'))"
ENCRYPTION_KEY=
API_SECRET=

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Step 3: Run the database schema

Required on first setup. Skip this and the app will start but nothing will work.
Open your Supabase project → SQL Editor → paste and run the full contents of supabase/schema.sql.

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Step 4: Start Redis

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yaml up -d
This starts Redis on localhost:6379. The API and worker need it to run.

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Step 5: Start the app

pnpm dev
Starts all four services in parallel:
ServiceURLWhat it does
APIhttp://localhost:3000REST API, identity resolution, signal ingestion
Frontendhttp://localhost:5173Web UI
MCP serverhttp://localhost:3001Agent tool interface
WorkerbackgroundAI synthesis, live sync, ICP scoring

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Step 6: Connect your first integration

Open http://localhost:5173 → Settings → Integrations and connect at least one source:

HubSpot

One-time import of existing contacts and deal history.

Gmail

Ingest email signals in real time via OAuth.

LinkedIn

Pull connection requests and messages via Unipile.

Webhooks

Connect any custom signal source with HMAC auth.

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Step 7: Connect your AI agent via MCP

Add Nous to your mcp.json (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP host): 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nous": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@opennous/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NOUS_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "NOUS_API_URL": "http://localhost:3000"
      }
    }
  }
}
Generate your API key under Settings → API Keys.

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What’s next

How it works

Identity resolution, signal ingestion, and the unified record architecture.

MCP tools reference

Full reference for all MCP tools your agents can call.

Production deploy

Deploy on your own server with Docker Compose.

REST API

Integrate via REST API from any language or platform.