Quickstart

You need: npm 8+. An API key for any supported LLM provider.

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Step 1: Install

npm install -g altimate-code

Zero additional setup. One command install.

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Step 2: Configure Your LLM

altimate        # Launch the TUI
/connect        # Choose your provider and enter your API key

Or set an environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here   # Anthropic Claude (recommended)
export OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key-here      # OpenAI

Minimal config file option (altimate-code.json in your project root):

{
  "providers": {
    "anthropic": {
      "apiKey": "your-key-here"
    }
  }
}

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Step 3: Connect Your Warehouse (Optional)

Skip this step if you want to work locally or don't need warehouse/orchestration connections. You can always run /discover later.

altimate /discover

Auto-detects your dbt projects, warehouse credentials, and installed tools. See Full Setup for details on what /discover finds and manual configuration options.

No cloud warehouse? Use DuckDB with a local file:

{
  "local": {
    "type": "duckdb",
    "database": "~/.altimate/local.duckdb"
  }
}

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Step 4: Verify It Works

In the TUI, type a simple prompt to confirm everything is connected:

What SQL anti-patterns does this query have: SELECT * FROM orders o JOIN customers c ON o.id = c.order_id WHERE UPPER(c.name) = 'ACME'

If you connected a warehouse with /discover, try:

Show me the tables in my warehouse

If you have a dbt project, try:

Scan my dbt project and summarize the models

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Step 5: Explore Data Engineering Features

Once basics are working, explore these commands:

Command	What it does
/sql-review	Review SQL for correctness, performance, and best practices
/cost-report	Analyze warehouse spending and find optimization opportunities
/dbt-docs	Generate or improve dbt model documentation
/generate-tests	Auto-generate dbt tests for your models
/migrate-sql	Translate SQL between warehouse dialects
/ci-check	Run pre-merge SQL quality validation on changed files
/train @docs/style-guide.md	Import team standards from documentation

Pro tip: Use impact_analysis before making breaking changes to understand which downstream dbt models will be affected.

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What's Next

• Full Setup: All warehouse configs, LLM providers, advanced setup
• Agent Modes: Choose the right agent for your task
• CI & Automation: Run altimate in automated pipelines
• Train your AI teammate: Use /teach and /train to build team-specific knowledge that persists across sessions