Quickstart

This quickstart guide will help you create, deploy, and run your first app on Kernel. You’ll launch a simple browser automation app using Playwright, Browser Use, Computer Use, or Stagehand.

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Prerequisites

• brew for the Kernel CLI
• npm or pnpm to generate a sample Kernel app
• A Kernel account with an API key

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1. Download the sample app

npx @onkernel/create-kernel-app my-sample-app

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2. Install the Kernel CLI

# Using brew
brew install onkernel/tap/kernel

# Using pnpm
pnpm install -g @onkernel/cli

# Using npm
npm install -g @onkernel/cli

Verify the installation exists:

which kernel

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3. Set your Kernel API key

Configure your environment with your Kernel API key:

export KERNEL_API_KEY=<YOUR_API_KEY>

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4. Deploy the sample app on Kernel

cd my-sample-app
kernel deploy index.ts # --env ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=XXX if Stagehand or Computer Use

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5. Invoke the app

# Sample app
kernel invoke ts-basic get-page-title --payload '{"url": "https://www.google.com"}'

# Stagehand
kernel invoke ts-stagehand stagehand-task --payload '{"query": "Best wired earbuds"}'

# Computer Use
kernel invoke ts-cu cu-task --payload '{"query": "Search for the top 3 restaurants in NYC according to Pete Wells"}'

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Next steps

Nice work! With Kernel, you:

1. Developed an app that uses Playwright, Browser Use, Computer Use, or Stagehand
2. Deployed and invoked it in the cloud

Our instant deployment capabilities mean you can iterate rapidly and get the benefits of using Kernel’s cloud platform without disrupting your development flow.

From here, you can:

• Explore observability tools to monitor your invocations.
• Learn about browser configurations for advanced use cases.
• Check out the Kernel CLI for the full reference.

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Sample apps reference

These are the sample apps currently available when you run npx @onkernel/create-kernel-app: