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The fastest setup path is through the coding agent already working in your repository. It can inspect your provider clients, choose the smallest useful integration, and keep Archal separate from your harness and eval stack.

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1. Sign up

Create an Archal account and open Dashboard > Setup. New self-serve accounts receive 5increditaftersignup.Theremaining5 in credit after signup. The remaining 15 arrives when the first sandbox is ready to use. No card is required, and the credit does not renew.

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2. Copy the setup prompt

Choose Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, or the portable skill target. The dashboard creates a short-lived pairing prompt for that target. Paste the full prompt into your coding agent. Treat it like a temporary secret. Do not commit it, put it in an issue, or paste it into CI logs. The agent will:
  1. exchange the pairing code for a protected Archal credential
  2. install exactly five verified skills in the repository
  3. verify access to the full environment catalog
  4. report readiness only after every checksum passes
Successful setup ends with:
Setup does not change application code, start a sandbox, or add a CI workflow.

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3. Ask for one real test

Give the coding agent a concrete workflow. For example:
The environment choice belongs to you. You can also leave the starting state blank and ask the agent to help prepare explicit custom state.

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4. Review what the agent returns

For a useful first run, expect:
  • the sandbox ID and selected environment IDs
  • the sample ID and SHA-256 hash, or the validated custom state file
  • readiness and expiry
  • the application configuration changed to use returned provider URLs
  • one provider-shaped read and mutation
  • an explicit state diff
  • reset or teardown confirmation
  • redacted credentials
The Archal workspace key belongs only in the control process. Code under test receives the scoped provider credentials returned for its environment.

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