---
title: Quickstart
description: From nothing but an email — install the CLI, self-provision over OTP, draft from Markdown, publish, and get a public URL to import into Medium.
---

By the end of this page you'll have a published story at a public `/story/<slug>` URL — authored with the `scripto` CLI, ready to import into Medium — starting from nothing but an email.

## Prerequisites

- **Node.js 20+** (`node --version` to check)
- An email you can read
- A Markdown draft (or use the snippet below)

No Scripto account yet? That's fine — Step 2 creates one.

## Step 1 — Install the CLI

```bash
npm install -g @codika-io/scripto
scripto --version
```

If global installs are blocked, `npx @codika-io/scripto <cmd>` works for any command.

## Step 2 — Request a login code

```bash
scripto auth login-request --email you@example.com
```

This emails a 6-digit code and exits. **Open signup:** if `you@example.com` has no account yet, one is created when you complete the next step.

## Step 3 — Complete login

Read the code from your inbox, then:

```bash
scripto auth login-complete --email you@example.com --code 123456
```

```text
✓ Signed in

  Email:    you@example.com
  Profile:  you (now active)
  API key:  scripto_••••••••

  Try it:  scripto whoami
```

Your `scripto_` key is now stored in `~/.config/scripto/config.json` (mode `0600`) and set as the active profile.

<Accordion title="I already have a key from the web Settings page">

Skip the OTP flow and store the key directly:

```bash
npm install -g @codika-io/scripto
scripto config set --api-key scripto_your_key_here
```

This saves a profile and makes it active. Continue from **Step 4**.

</Accordion>

## Step 4 — Create a draft

Save a minimal `draft.md`:

```markdown
# My first Scripto story

A short opening paragraph that becomes the article's first section.

## A second section

Everything from this H2 to the next one is its own section.
```

Create the article — the server splits the Markdown into sections, renders each, and derives the title from the first heading:

```bash
scripto articles create --file draft.md
```

```text
✓ Draft created
  id:     0a1b2c3d-...
  title:  My first Scripto story

  Publish it:  scripto articles publish 0a1b2c3d-...
```

## Step 5 — Read the outline

The cheap map an agent reads before editing — anchors and titles, never bodies:

```bash
scripto outline 0a1b2c3d-...
```

Edit one section by its **anchor** (any unique prefix of a section id):

```bash
scripto section get 0a1b2c3d-... a1b2c3d4 -o sec.md
# edit sec.md …
scripto section set 0a1b2c3d-... a1b2c3d4 --file sec.md
```

<Note>

Editing one section at a time is the agent path: a long article never has to be pushed or pulled whole. See [Working with sections](/guides/working-with-sections).

</Note>

## Step 6 — Publish

```bash
scripto articles publish 0a1b2c3d-...
```

```text
✓ Published
  URL:  https://scripto.codika.io/story/my-first-scripto-story

  Paste that URL into Medium's "Import a story" to import it.
```

Publishing is **idempotent** — re-running keeps the same slug and the original publish date.

## Step 7 — Import into Medium

In Medium, open **your avatar → Stories → Import a story**, paste the `/story/<slug>` URL, and import. Medium fetches the server-rendered page and rebuilds the story — headings, code blocks, lists, dividers, and figures intact.

<Warning>

Images must be **hosted public URLs**, not inline `data:` images — Medium's bot fetches the story server-side and can't read inline image data. The editor and `POST /api/upload` host images for you on Vercel Blob.

</Warning>

## What just happened

| Step | Behind the scenes |
|---|---|
| Login | An unknown email was registered on the spot; a long-lived `scripto_` key was minted and saved locally |
| Created a draft | The server split your Markdown into ordered sections, rendered each to semantic HTML, and derived the title |
| Published | A slug was assigned once; the public `/story/<slug>` page now renders from the database |
| Imported | Medium fetched the SSR page and rebuilt the story faithfully |

## Next steps

- **[CLI command reference](/cli/commands)** — every command, every flag.
- **[The ordered-sections model](/concepts/sections)** — why agent editing stays cheap.
- **[Use Scripto with Claude](/guides/with-claude)** — have Claude run the whole loop.
- **[Import from Medium](/guides/medium-import)** — bring your Medium history into Scripto.