Swarm 1: Your first swarm

Launch Quay's Dev & Watcher swarm: a Claude Code agent beside a PowerShell pane that runs your tests on every save. The agent builds a tip calculator while you watch its tests go green.

• Time about 10 min
• Tokens about 250k
• Agents 1 × Claude + 1 × PowerShell
• Level Starter

You'll learn: how to launch a swarm from the Swarm Launcher (Ctrl+B S), work in a side-by-side split, move focus between panes (Ctrl+B O) and zoom a pane to the whole stage (Ctrl+B Z).

Quay's window has two parts: the rail, the panel down the left that lists your projects and their terminals, and the stage to its right, where the terminal panes open. When the stage is split, each pane has a header along its top with the terminal's name and, for an agent, its status. Every Ctrl+B shortcut is two key presses: press Ctrl+B, let go, then press the next key within a second and a half.

Before you start

• Quay 2 is installed from the latest release (Installing a Release).
• Claude Code 2.1.296 or later is installed and signed in (Claude Code). claude --version
• The event-bridge plugin 0.1.0 or later is installed and enabled in Claude Code (Event-bridge Plugin).
• PowerShell 7 is installed (PowerShell 7). pwsh --version
• Node.js 24 or later is installed, with npm (Node.js and npm). node --version
• Git is installed and knows your name and email (Git). git --version
• You are using the starter project, because agents run in Skip mode and edit files without asking.

1. Get the starter project

Do

1. Download first-swarm.zip and unzip it into a new, empty folder.
2. In Quay, click Add at the top of the rail, click Browse..., pick that folder and click Add Project.
3. Press Ctrl+B N, choose PowerShell Console and click Start Terminal (Enter).

Paste into PowerShell pane

git init -b main; git add -A; git commit -m Starter; npm install

You should see

The PowerShell pane in the project folder: git makes the Starter commit, then npm install finishes with no vulnerabilities.

Must match

• git commit prints Starter as the message.
• npm install ends with found 0 vulnerabilities.

May differ

• The commit id, and the package counts and timings npm install prints.

If not: node or npm is not recognised

Node.js 24 or later isn't on your PATH. Install it as Node.js and npm shows, close and reopen Quay so its terminals see it, then paste the line again.

If not: git commit says Author identity unknown

Git doesn't know your name and email yet. Set them as Git shows, then paste the line again.

2. Launch the swarm

Do

1. Press Ctrl+B S. The Swarm Launcher opens with Dev & Watcher already selected.
2. Click Launch Swarm Now.

You should see

The launcher closes and two panes open side by side: lead-dev on the left confirms its role in one line and waits, and build-watcher on the right sits at a PowerShell prompt.

Must match

• Two panes side by side: lead-dev on the left and build-watcher on the right.
• The rail lists lead-dev and build-watcher under the project, beside the PowerShell pane from step 1.
• lead-dev's first line reads Role: Lead Developer, and it waits for your task.

May differ

• The wording of lead-dev's one-line reply.
• The port number in the rail header.

If not: lead-dev asks you to accept Bypass Permissions mode

Quay starts a swarm's Claude Code agents in Skip mode, which Claude Code calls Bypass Permissions mode, and Claude Code asks once before its first session in that mode. Click into lead-dev, choose Yes, I accept and press Enter. It then confirms its role.

If not: lead-dev shows the plugin hint

Quay isn't hearing from the event-bridge plugin. Install it as the hint says, then run /reload-plugins in lead-dev. The hint goes away as soon as Quay hears from the plugin.

3. Start the watcher

Do

1. Press Ctrl+B O to move focus to build-watcher. Its border lights up.

Paste into build-watcher

npm test

You should see

build-watcher: Vitest in watch mode lists the five tests, all failing in red, then waits for file changes.

Must match

• Tests 5 failed (5).
• A Waiting for file changes... line under it.

May differ

• How long the run takes, and the times beside each test.

If not: vitest is not recognized

npm install didn't finish in step 1. Paste npm install into build-watcher, wait for it to finish, then paste npm test again.

4. Give lead-dev the job

Do

1. Press Ctrl+B O to move focus back to lead-dev.

Paste into lead-dev

Implement src/tip.ts so every test in test/tip.test.ts passes. Don't run the tests yourself: the build-watcher pane is running them, and I'm watching it. Tell me when you believe they all pass.

You should see

lead-dev says it believes the tests pass, and build-watcher beside it shows all five tests passing in green.

Must match

• build-watcher shows Tests 5 passed (5).
• At the end, lead-dev's pane header shows a green dot and Ready.
• lead-dev tells you it believes the tests pass.

May differ

• The tools lead-dev's pane header names while it works, beside a spinner.
• How many times the watcher re-runs on the way.
• lead-dev's wording, and how long it takes.

If not: lead-dev runs the tests itself anyway

It still works; the lesson is just quieter. When it finishes, paste Thanks. From now on leave test runs to the watcher. into lead-dev.

If not: the watcher never re-runs

Vitest re-runs when a file under the project changes. Check that lead-dev edited src/tip.ts and didn't write a new file somewhere else.

5. Zoom in on the result

Do

1. Press Ctrl+B O to move focus to build-watcher.
2. Press Ctrl+B Z to zoom it to the whole stage, and read the five passing tests.
3. Press Ctrl+B Z again to put the split back.

You should see

build-watcher fills the whole stage, listing the five tests, each with a green tick.

Must match

• build-watcher fills the stage.
• Five test names, each with a green ✓.

May differ

• The times beside each test.

If not: Ctrl+B Z did nothing

The Ctrl+B prefix lasts a second and a half. Press Ctrl+B, let go, then press Z straight after.

If not: Ctrl+B Z zoomed lead-dev instead

Focus was still on lead-dev. Press Ctrl+B Z to put the split back, then Ctrl+B O to move focus to build-watcher, and zoom again.

6. Check it worked

Do

1. With focus still on build-watcher, press q to stop the watcher.

Paste into build-watcher

node src/cli.ts 42.50 18 3; git status --short

You should see

build-watcher: the CLI prints the tip, the total and each person's share, and git status lists src/tip.ts as the one modified file.

Must match

• The CLI prints Tip: $7.65 Total: $50.15 Each: $16.72.
• git status --short prints one line, M src/tip.ts.

May differ

• The folder in the PowerShell prompt, which is wherever you unzipped the starter.

You’re done when

• ✅ build-watcher showed Tests 5 passed (5).
• ✅ The CLI prints Tip: $7.65 Total: $50.15 Each: $16.72.
• ✅ git status --short lists src/tip.ts as the only modified file.

Next up

Swarm 2: TDD Swarm kata

The next tutorial in series order. Build a password-strength checker test-first with four panes in a 2x2 grid, and drive the red, green, review loop yourself.