Getting Started

Last updated: 2026-06-28

Cortensor has more than one entrypoint. Hosted API users, router operators, miner/node operators, agent builders, and Web3 developers each have a different starting path.

Start Path

flowchart LR
  Reader["Reader"] --> Hosted{"Do you want<br/>hosted API access?"}
  Hosted -->|"yes"| Web2["Portal / Web2 API"]
  Hosted -->|"no"| Operate{"Will you operate<br/>network infrastructure?"}
  Operate -->|"router"| Router["Router Node Setup"]
  Operate -->|"miner / oracle / validator"| Node["Miner Node Setup"]
  Operate -->|"contract integration"| Web3["Web3 SDK Reference"]
  Operate -->|"agent integration"| Products["Products / Corgent / PyClaw"]

Paths

Reader	Start here	What to have before continuing
Hosted API customer	Pick Your Path, then Web2 API Reference.	Portal access, API key, model alias, and target environment.
Router operator	Router Node Setup.	Node wallet, env file, public hostname, REST/WebSocket ports, session IDs, and auth policy.
Miner/operator	Miner Node Setup.	Node wallet, funded gas, role choice, model/runtime plan, and target network details.
Web3 developer	Web3 SDK Reference.	RPC URL, ABI set, contract address table, and funded signer for write operations.
Product reader	Products.	Product scope: Portal, Gateway, Router Node, Dashboard, Corgent, Bardiel, PyClaw, or agent apps.

Command Convention

Setup guides use the packaged binary:

cortensord ~/.cortensor/.env <role>

The first argument is the environment file. The second argument is the role. Current role names include routerv1, minerv4, oraclev3, validatorv1, validatorv2, validatorv3, poolv1, qualityv1, and tool.

Before You Run A Node

1. Create or receive an environment file for the target network.
2. Generate or import node keys.
3. Fund the node wallet with enough gas for registration and task lifecycle transactions.
4. Register the intended role.
5. Confirm the node can read the configured RPC and contract set.
6. Start the role with cortensord.
7. Check health, logs, and on-chain registration state.

Values That Must Come From The Active Network

Production values come from the active deployment record:

Value	Why it must be confirmed
RPC URL and chain ID	They bind the node to a specific network.
Contract addresses	Stale addresses can register or submit work against the wrong deployment.
Router hostnames	Public routing depends on deployed DNS and reverse proxies.
Session IDs	Completion, delegate, validate, and factcheck behavior depends on active sessions.
Auth keys and payment settings	Bearer, trial, and x402 policies are deployment-specific.
Storage buckets and retention	Off-chain input/result behavior depends on the storage backend.