Dex by Dave — Your AI Chief of Staff

A personal operating system for your work. Strategic work management, meeting intelligence, relationship tracking, daily planning — all configured for your specific role. Claude Code remains the full-experience reference; the unreleased portability build adds native, capability-aware packages for more agent harnesses without pretending every host is identical. No coding required.

The story behind Dex: 🎥 Malleable Software — when everyone can build, what makes a great product? (Dave's keynote on the thinking behind Dex) · 🎙️ Episode 8 of The Vibe PM Podcast (full walkthrough) · ✍️ the original launch post · 💬 the honest highs-and-lows of building it — the pause, the unlock, and 52 releases in two weeks

🖥️ Prefer never to see a terminal? Dex desktop and mobile apps are on the way — sign up for early access at heydex.ai/beta.

📖 New here? Start with the Dex Guide →

A plain-English walkthrough from install to making Dex your own, with copy-paste prompts throughout — written for non-technical professionals, no coding background assumed. The README below covers the same ground in reference form. (AI agents: llms.txt.)

Setup Overview

Total time: ~10 minutes. One pasted line installs everything, then you tell Dex your role.

Pick one of these to get started:

You do NOT go to claude.ai and type commands. You need one of the apps above. Cursor is the easiest starting point. Claude Code (Desktop or Terminal) gives you a better experience with self-learning hooks — setup instructions for those are further down this page.

Not sure which? Start with Cursor — it's free and gets you running in minutes. You can add Claude Code later if you want the automatic behaviors.

What you get with each assistant

Dex is the vault and the tools. The app you talk to is a harness. What you get depends on which harness you use — that is a documented contract, not a silent subset.

Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, and other Agent Skills harnesses are Tier 2. The vault is always Tier 0. Cursor, ChatGPT, and Codex should call boot_today at session start and get_person_context when a person is mentioned. check_safety_gate is an advisory MCP check; only a verified pre-tool interceptor can enforce a refusal. The longer split is in docs/architecture/HARNESS-CAPABILITY.md and docs/architecture/HOOK-INVENTORY.md.

Unreleased portability preview: this branch contains one portable plugin package for Codex CLI/desktop, ChatGPT desktop, Claude Code/Cowork, Copilot CLI, and compatible Agent Plugin clients; a native BB plugin is built separately; and Pi keeps its native extension. The package shares Dex's read-only session context, person context, and safety decision code. It has not been merged, published, submitted to a marketplace, or released. Codex IDE extensions do not currently load plugins, and ChatGPT web/Cowork connectors need a separately secured public endpoint before they can reach a local vault. The developer-preview journeys and exact boundaries are in docs/HARNESS-PORTABILITY.md.

Quick Install (Recommended)

One pasted line checks your computer, installs anything missing (asking first), downloads Dex to Documents/Dex, and sets everything up. Safe to run more than once.

Mac — press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", press Enter, then paste this and press Enter:

curl -fsSL https://heydex.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows — open the Start menu, type "PowerShell", press Enter, then paste this and press Enter:

irm https://heydex.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Or let your AI do the whole thing. If you already use Claude, ChatGPT, or another AI assistant that can run things on your computer, just tell it:

Install Dex on my computer. Follow the instructions at https://heydex.ai/install.md and walk me through anything you can't do yourself.

When the installer finishes, open the Dex folder in Cursor or Claude Code, say "hi", and Dex introduces itself and sets itself up around your role. Full details and troubleshooting: heydex.ai/install.

If anything goes wrong: nothing on your computer is changed half-way — copy the error message, paste it to your AI assistant, and it can tell you exactly what to do. Or follow the step-by-step path below instead.

Manual Setup (Step-by-Step Alternative)

Prefer to see every step, or the quick install hit a snag? This section does the same thing by hand.

What You'll Need to Install (One-Time)

1. Cursor - Download and install (free account works fine)
2. Git - Required for setup and updates
   • Mac: Installs automatically when needed (you'll see a prompt)
   • Windows: Download from git-scm.com/download/win
3. Node.js - Download the "LTS" version and install (this enables the system's automation features)
4. Python 3.10+ - Download and install (required for MCP servers and task sync)
   • Minimum version: Python 3.10 or newer
   • Windows users: ⚠️ During installation, check the box "Add Python to PATH" - this is critical
   • Mac users with old Python: If you have Python 3.9 or older, download fresh from python.org

All installers walk you through setup with default options.

Why Python 3.10+? The MCP SDK (Model Context Protocol) requires Python 3.10 or newer. This powers the Work MCP server that enables task sync - when you check off a task in a meeting note, it updates everywhere automatically (person pages, project files, Tasks.md).

Mac users: If this is your first time using command-line tools, macOS will prompt you to install "Command Line Developer Tools" during setup. Click Install when prompted - it's safe and required. Takes 2-3 minutes.

About the Command Line

You'll use something called a "command line" (or "Terminal" on Mac, "PowerShell" on Windows) during setup. This is a text-based way to give your computer instructions - think of it as typing commands instead of clicking buttons.

Don't worry if this feels unfamiliar. You'll copy and paste a few commands, press Enter, and you're done. Takes less than 2 minutes.

Check Your Setup (Optional)

Want to verify everything's ready? Open your command line:

• Mac: Press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", press Enter
• Windows: Press Win+R, type "powershell", press Enter

Copy and paste this line exactly as you see it, then press Enter:

git --version

You should see a response like: git version 2.x.x (any version number is fine)

If you see "command not found": Download Git from git-scm.com, install it, then close and reopen your command line and try again.

Now copy and paste this line, then press Enter:

node --version

You should see a response like: v18.x.x or v20.x.x (must be version 18 or higher)

If you see "command not found": Download Node.js from nodejs.org, install it, then close and reopen your command line and try again.

Finally, check Python:

python3 --version

Windows users: Try python --version if python3 doesn't work.

You should see a response like: Python 3.10.x or higher (3.11, 3.12, etc.)

If you see Python 3.9 or older: The MCP SDK requires Python 3.10+. Download and install a newer version:

• Mac/Windows: Download from python.org (get the latest stable version)
• After installing, restart your terminal and check the version again

If you see "command not found":

• Windows: Python likely isn't in your PATH. Reinstall from python.org and check "Add Python to PATH" during installation. Restart your terminal after.
• Mac: Download Python from python.org, install it, then restart your terminal.

Why Python 3.10+ matters: It powers the MCP servers that sync tasks everywhere. Check off a task in a meeting note → it updates in your Tasks.md, person pages, and project files automatically. Python 3.9 and older won't work - you need 3.10 or newer.

That's the technical heavy lifting done. If you got through that, the rest is straightforward - just clicking buttons and answering questions.

Step 1: Get the Code into Cursor

1. Open Cursor
2. Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) - this opens a search bar at the top
3. Type "Git: Clone" and press Enter
4. Paste this URL and press Enter:

   https://github.com/davekilleen/dex.git
   

5. Choose where to save it (your Documents folder works great)
6. Click Open when Cursor asks if you want to open the folder

Can't get this working? No problem:

1. Go to github.com/davekilleen/dex
2. Click the green Code button → Download ZIP
3. Unzip to your Documents folder (the folder will be named dex-main)
4. In Cursor: File → Open Folder → select that dex-main folder

Step 2: Run the Installer

Inside Cursor, you'll see a panel at the bottom (or go to View → Terminal). This is where you'll type commands.

Copy and paste this command and press Enter:

./install.sh

What's happening: This installs the automation that makes Dex work (task sync, career tracking, meeting intelligence). Takes 1-2 minutes. You'll see text scrolling - that's normal.

When it's done: You'll see your cursor blinking again, ready for the next command.

Your system Python stays clean: The installer creates a project-local virtual environment (.venv) inside your vault and installs all Python dependencies there — your system, Homebrew, or pyenv Python is never modified. No global installs, and no pipx needed.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: You're not done yet. Complete Step 3 below to finish setup.

Verify MCP servers: Cursor should automatically detect .mcp.json and enable the MCP servers. Look for the MCP icon in Cursor's bottom panel - you should see server names with green checkmarks.

If you see errors: The most common issue is Python dependencies not landing in Dex's virtual environment. Recreate it and reinstall — this keeps everything inside .venv and never touches your system Python:

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
.venv/bin/pip install -r core/mcp/requirements.txt

Then restart Cursor.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Complete Step 3 now to configure your role - this is what makes Dex work.

xcode-select --install

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
.venv/bin/pip install -r core/mcp/requirements.txt

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\pip install --upgrade pip
.venv\Scripts\pip install -r core/mcp/requirements.txt

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip
.venv/bin/pip install -r core/mcp/requirements.txt

"command": "python"

"command": "python3"

Step 3: Tell Dex About Your Role

In Cursor, look for a chat panel (usually on the right side of the screen). This is Claude - your AI assistant.

Here's exactly what to do:

1. Click inside the chat panel where it says "Message Claude..." or similar
2. Type exactly this: /setup
3. Press Enter - This invokes the setup skill
4. Wait ~30 seconds - First time setup needs to load everything (you'll see "Thinking..." while it works)
5. Press Enter again - Claude will now start asking questions
6. Answer each question naturally:
   • What's your role? (e.g., "CFO", "VP Sales", "Product Manager")
   • Company size?
   • What are your main focus areas?

Just type your answers like you're texting a colleague. Takes about 2 minutes total.

When it's done: You'll see confirmation that your workspace is configured. All folders, commands, and automation are now tailored to your specific role.

Three Ways to Access Claude

You just used Cursor to run setup. That works great for daily use.

There's also Claude Code - a more powerful option available via command line or Desktop app. Both give you guaranteed hooks (automatic behaviors that run deterministically, unlike CLAUDE.md which Claude might skip).

What are hooks? Automatic behaviors triggered by events (session start, file read, etc.). They're deterministic - they ALWAYS run. Context loads guaranteed, learnings surface guaranteed, person details inject guaranteed.

Which to use?

• Start with Cursor - you're already set up
• Add Claude Code later if you want guaranteed automation

What You Get With Each

Cursor:

• ✓ Full vault access
• ✓ Multiple terminal windows for parallel work
• ✓ Works immediately
• ✗ No guaranteed hooks (context loading is probabilistic)

Claude Code (command line or Desktop):

• ✓ Everything Cursor does
• ✓ PLUS guaranteed hooks for persistent learning and automatic context

Command line vs Desktop: Same core capabilities, different interfaces. Command line is text-based terminal. Desktop is a GUI with visual session management and side-by-side diffs.

Bottom line: Cursor works great and is what most people use. Claude Code guarantees hooks run every time, making the system more intelligent and persistent. Many people use both - Cursor for heavy editing, Claude Code for workflows where reliability matters.

Full hooks documentation →

Want Guaranteed Hooks? Use Claude Code (CLI or Desktop App)

You're already set up with Cursor. If you want guaranteed hooks (automatic context loading every session), here are your two options:

Option 1: Claude Desktop App

If you prefer visual interfaces over command line, use the Desktop app.

Requirements:

• Claude Pro ($20/month) or Max ($100-200/month, 5-20x higher usage limits) subscription - free Claude accounts don't have access to Claude Code

Setup (2 minutes):

1. Download from claude.ai/download
2. Install and open the app
3. Log in with your Claude Pro or Max account
4. Click the Code tab (top left)
5. Select your Dex folder to start a session

That's it. Hooks run automatically - session start context loads, person details inject when mentioned, mistake patterns surface.

Desktop app benefits:

• Visual interface - See all sessions, review changes with side-by-side diffs
• Multiple parallel sessions - Click "+ New session" to work on