> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aether.baimoqilin.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get Started with Aether in Minutes

> Install Aether on your Android device, connect an LLM provider, and send your first message to the AI agent in just a few steps.

Get Aether running on your Android device with a working LLM provider. By the end of this guide you'll have a fully functional AI agent ready to chat — and optionally, ready to run shell commands and automate tasks on your phone.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download Aether">
    Go to the [Aether GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/Zhou-Shilin/Aether/releases) and download the latest APK.

    * Choose the **arm64-v8a** APK (the only supported architecture).
    * Aether requires **Android 8.0 (API 26) or higher**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the APK">
    Android blocks installations from outside the Play Store by default. Before you can install Aether, you need to grant permission:

    1. Go to **Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps**.
    2. Find your browser or file manager and toggle **Allow from this source** on.
    3. Open the downloaded APK file and tap **Install**.
    4. Wait for the installation to complete, then tap **Open**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Launch and complete onboarding">
    The first time you open Aether, an onboarding screen walks you through the required setup:

    * Grant **Notifications** permission so Aether can alert you when agent tasks complete.
    * Grant **Alarm scheduling** permission so Aether can run scheduled tasks.

    Follow the on-screen prompts for each step. You can revisit permissions later in your Android settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an LLM provider">
    Aether needs at least one LLM provider configured before you can chat:

    1. Tap the **Settings** icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner of the app.
    2. Select **Providers**.
    3. Tap **Add Provider** and choose your preferred service — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, Groq, Mistral, Cloudflare, or any other supported option.
    4. Enter your **API key** for that provider.
    5. Tap **Save**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a model">
    Back on the main chat screen:

    1. Tap the **model selector** in the message composer bar at the bottom of the screen.
    2. Browse the list of models from your configured provider and tap the one you want to use.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send your first message">
    Type a message in the composer and tap **Send**. Aether streams the response directly from your chosen LLM in real time. That's it — you're up and running!
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Toggle **Agent Mode** in the composer (the robot icon) to unlock the full agentic experience. With Agent Mode enabled, Aether can execute shell commands, use CLI tools inside its Alpine Linux environment, and perform multi-step reasoning tasks — not just answer questions.
</Tip>

<Note>
  The first time you send a message with **Agent Mode** enabled, Aether automatically downloads and installs the Alpine Linux root filesystem in the background. This download is approximately **100 MB**. Make sure you're on Wi-Fi before enabling Agent Mode for the first time.
</Note>