Getting started

Already downloaded Mycroft, or have a Mark 1? Here, we'll walk you through your first steps with each Mycroft platform or device – called an Enclosure – and get you to the point of issuing simple Utterances, which invoke Skills. Then, join us on our Forum and Chat for friendly advice and assistance to continue your learning journey with Mycroft.

1. Create a Mycroft Home account

No matter which Platform or Enclosure you're using, your first step is to create an account on Mycroft Home. Mycroft Home is where you manage all the Devices on which you have Mycroft installed.

2. Install Mycroft and pair your Device with Mycroft Home

Download and Install Mycroft Our handy Download page links to installation instructions for each Platform or Enclosure. If you get stuck during installation, join us in Chat or on our friendly Forum, or Contact us for more assistance.

If you have a Mark 1, you might like to read the Get Started booklet (PDF, 290Kb)

Pair your Device with your Mycroft Home account Once you've installed your Platform or set up your Enclosure, Mycroft should give you a 6-letter pairing code. Each Mycroft Device needs to be paired with your Mycroft Home account. Pairing your account gives your device details such as your general location–for Skills like weather–and your preferences for measurements such as temperature.

3. Start using default Skills, then install more

Default Skills installed with Mycroft Mycroft comes with a number of default Skills, such as setting an alarm, providing the weather, or telling the time. Try these basic examples to get started:

"Hey Mycroft, what time is it?"

"Hey Mycroft, what's the weather?"

"Hey Mycroft, set an alarm for 30 minutes."

"Hey Mycroft, what's my IP address?"

"Hey Mycroft, tell me about chocolate."

Install additional skills Once you're comfortable with the basics, you can install additional skills. It's easy-just tell Mycroft which skill you want to install.

"Hey Mycroft, install skill daily meditation."

4. Get Involved

This is just the beginning. You can contribute to Mycroft whether or not you have technical skills.

Check out our Get Involved page to learn more.

What do these terms mean?

As you're Getting Started with Mycroft, you'll see some phrases which may be unfamiliar–so we've explained them below.

Device: The platform you have Mycroft installed on. This may look different between users, depending on what Enclosure you use. Each Device needs to be paired with your Mycroft Home account before it can be used.

Enclosure: The physical host for Mycroft. This could be a Mark 1, or a Raspberry Pi, or it might be on a Linux desktop.

Wake Word: The phrase you use to tell Mycroft you're about to issue a command. You can configure your wake word in your Mycroft Home account.

Utterance: An Utterance is a command or question, such as "What's the weather like in Kansas City?" or "Tell me about the Pembroke Welsh Corgi".

Skill: When Mycroft hears the Wake Word followed by an Utterance, Mycroft will try to find a Skill that matches the Utterance. The Skill might fetch data, or play audio, or speak, or display information. If Mycroft can't find a Skill that matches the Utterance, he will tell you he doesn't understand.

Need assistance?

If you're non-technical: If you need assistance with a Device that's not working, or don't know where to start, drop us a line or subscribe for updates. You can also connect with Mycroft team members and other Mycroft users in our Chat.

If you're technical: If you're technically minded, then you might prefer our Chat, Forum, or you're also welcome to raise Issues directly on GitHub.