Quick Start
One command gets you a running ZeroDB project with no signup form and no API key to copy-paste by hand. This walks through exactly what npx zerodb-cli init does, using its real terminal output.
1Run the CLI
In any project directory, run:
npx zerodb-cli@latest init
This fetches the real published zerodb-cli package (current release 0.1.3, checked via the npm registry) — no install step required.
2Accept terms, get an instant database
The CLI prints its banner, asks you to accept the terms of service, then makes a single unauthenticated POST to https://api.ainative.studio/api/v1/public/instant-db to provision a real project and API key — no account, no email, no password:
By continuing you agree to the AINative Terms of Service. Terms: https://ainative.studio/.well-known/myterms.json Do you agree? [y/N] y Creating instant database... Project: <your-project-id> API Key: zdb_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx... Expires: <timestamp> Claim: <claim_url>
The printed Claim URL lets you later attach the instant project to a real account before it expires, so you don't lose your data.
3Editor + MCP wired automatically
The CLI detects your editor (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurf — pass --editor to force one) and writes two files for you:
.env— yourZERODB_API_KEYandZERODB_PROJECT_ID- an editor-specific MCP config (e.g.
.mcp.jsonfor Claude Code) pointing at the hosted ZeroMemory MCP server over HTTP, with your API key already in the headers
Your first call
The CLI prints a ready-to-run example as its last step:
Ready! Try:
curl -X POST https://api.ainative.studio/api/v1/public/memory/ \
-H "X-API-Key: <your_api_key>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"title":"Test","content":"Hello ZeroDB"}'That stores your first memory. To search by meaning instead of keyword — the "vector search" part — call the live memory recall endpoint with your key:
curl -X POST https://api.ainative.studio/api/v1/public/memory/v2/recall \
-H "X-API-Key: <your_api_key>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"query": "hello"}'What was verified, and how
- The banner, prompt text, and "Ready! Try:" curl example above were copied verbatim from the CLI's own published source (
zerodb-cli@0.1.3, fetched from the npm registry and read directly). - The instant-provisioning call was actually run in a real terminal: it printed
Creating instant database...and then a real rate-limit response (HTTP 429: max 5 instant databases per IP per day) — confirming the endpoint is real and live, and that it enforces a per-IP cap. - The
/api/v1/public/memory/v2/recallendpoint used above for the vector-search step was confirmed live by direct request (returns 401 — auth required — rather than 404, meaning the route exists). - Not independently re-verified in this session: the exact wording of the
Project/API Key/Expires/Claimsuccess output shown above, since a fresh instant database could not be created from this environment (daily per-IP limit already reached) — that block is reproduced from the CLI's source code (src/cli.js), not a captured live run.