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Quick Start: Your First Parallel Session

Time: 5 minutes

This tutorial walks you through running multiple AI backend instances in parallel on a real project.

Prerequisites

  • Claudio installed (claudio --help works)
  • Preferred backend CLI authenticated (Claude Code or Codex)
  • A Git repository to work in

Step 1: Set Up Your Project

Navigate to a Git repository. For this tutorial, we'll use a simple example:

# Create a test project (or use your own)
mkdir claudio-demo
cd claudio-demo
git init

# Create some starter files
echo '# My App' > README.md
mkdir src
echo 'console.log("Hello");' > src/index.js
git add . && git commit -m "initial commit"

Step 2: Initialize Claudio

claudio init

You should see: 

Initialized Claudio in /path/to/claudio-demo
Created .claudio/ directory

Step 3: Start a Session

claudio start demo

The TUI launches. You'll see an empty dashboard waiting for instances.

Step 4: Add Your First Instance

Press a to add an instance. Enter:

Add a greeting function to src/index.js that takes a name parameter

Watch as Claudio: 1. Creates a worktree in .claudio/worktrees/ 2. Creates a new branch 3. Starts the configured backend with your task

Step 5: Add a Second Instance

While the first is working, press a again:

Add a README section explaining how to run the project

Now you have two instances running in parallel!

Step 6: Monitor Progress

  • Press 1 or 2 to switch between instances
  • Use j/k to scroll through output
  • Press d to see the diff of changes

Watch both instances work simultaneously.

Step 7: Create a PR

When an instance shows [completed]:

  1. Select it with 1 or 2
  2. Press x to stop
  3. Choose "Create PR" (if you have gh configured)

Or just keep the branch for manual review.

Step 8: Clean Up

Press q to quit. Choose to stop remaining instances.

Clean up resources: 

claudio cleanup

What You Learned

  • Initialize: claudio init sets up the project
  • Start: claudio start <name> launches the TUI
  • Add instances: Press a to add parallel tasks
  • Navigate: Use Tab/Shift+Tab, j/k to move around
  • View changes: Press d for diffs
  • Create PRs: Press x to stop and create PR
  • Cleanup: claudio cleanup removes stale resources

Next Steps