# Open an Agent RX workspace

Open RX in the intended project and inspect its controls before submitting a task. This quickstart ends at an oriented workspace, not a completed coding task.

## Before you start

Use a project you are authorized to work on. Save existing changes and keep their identity separate from agent changes. If RX is absent, use the [maintained installation instructions](https://github.com/Ouros-AI/rx#installation-and-update). Configure provider access separately; opening a workspace does not establish inference access.

## Confirm the project

1. In your shell, change to your project directory. Replace `PROJECT_DIRECTORY` with that directory.

   ```bash
   cd PROJECT_DIRECTORY
   pwd
   ```

2. Check the printed directory. For a Git project, record existing work with the following commands. Replace `path/to/changed-file` with a relevant tracked file; these commands do not display untracked file contents.

   ```bash
   git status --short
   git diff --stat
   git diff -- path/to/changed-file
   ```

## Open and inspect

1. Start RX from that shell:

   ```bash
   rx
   ```

2. Enter `/help` inside RX, not in the shell. Inspect the commands your installed version exposes.
3. Enter `/tools` to inspect tools advertised to the model. Use `/models` to inspect model choices; opening the model picker can request provider catalogues. Catalogue discovery is not inference, but it can use network access.

## Check the result

Confirm the intended workspace, visible session help, and tool information. You have not submitted a coding task. A model appearing in a catalogue does not prove your account can invoke it.

## If opening fails

If the shell cannot locate RX, follow [RX is not found](/docs/agent-rx/rx-is-not-found). If a provider fails, retain the non-secret message rather than trying an unrelated model or changing account settings. Do not paste keys into a task.

Continue with [a bounded task](/docs/agent-rx/give-a-bounded-task-and-check-the-result) or the [command reference](/docs/agent-rx/commands).