Last updated 2026-06-01 by Kahtaf.

First Run

This path assumes you want the fastest successful run: connect one AI model, ask a keyless market-data prompt, and only add data-provider keys when OpenCandle tells you they would improve the answer.

Model credentials and market-data provider keys are separate. OpenCandle needs a model before chat can start. A keyless market-data prompt means the market data source does not need an OpenCandle provider key; it does not mean the agent can run without model access.

Pi is the bundled local agent runtime that handles model sign-in, model keys, the terminal shell, and saved sessions. OpenCandle uses Pi for that runtime layer and adds the finance-specific tools and GUI.

Five-Minute Path

1. Install and start OpenCandle.

npx opencandle@latest

From a source checkout, use:

npm install
npm start

1. Connect an AI model when the setup prompt opens.

Choose sign-in or paste an API key. OpenCandle needs a model before chat can start. After a successful connection, it selects a fast default model when one is available; otherwise it asks you to choose a model.

1. Start with a keyless market-data prompt.

What is AAPL trading at?
Compare BTC and ETH over the last month
What's r/wallstreetbets saying about META?

Yahoo Finance, CoinGecko, Reddit, SEC EDGAR, DuckDuckGo search, and the alternative.me crypto Fear & Greed index work without OpenCandle-specific provider keys.

1. Add provider keys only when needed.

If an answer says a provider is missing or degraded, follow the suggested /connect ... command. Common examples:

/connect financials
/connect economy
/connect search

What Success Looks Like

A good first answer should show that OpenCandle gathered evidence before synthesizing. For a quote prompt, expect a current price, daily move, timestamp or source context, and any caveats about availability. For a comparison prompt, expect per-asset data plus a short synthesis. If a provider was unavailable, the answer should say what was missing instead of pretending the data was complete.

OpenCandle is research software, not a financial advisor. Treat warnings, stale-data notes, and data gaps as part of the output.

Model Setup Expectations

OpenCandle uses Pi for model credentials and model selection. You can connect with sign-in or with an API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google models. Model credentials are stored by Pi; OpenCandle data-provider keys are separate and live in environment variables or ~/.opencandle/config.json.

Use /setup later if you want to reconnect auth or choose a different model setup path. Use /model when you only want to switch among models that are already available.

Common Setup Failures