Getting Started with Pulse
From download to your first working agent in under 15 minutes. No terminal, no configuration files, no Docker.
On this page
1. System requirements
Pulse ships as a single application bundle. No external runtime is required, Java is bundled.
| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | macOS 12+, Windows 10+, Ubuntu 20.04+ | Same |
| RAM | 2 GB free | 4 GB free |
| Disk | 2 GB free | 10 GB free (backups grow) |
| Network | Optional, works fully offline | Internet for cloud LLMs / updates |
| Admin / root | Not needed, installs per-user | Not needed |
2. Download
Visit the Pulse downloads page and grab the installer for your OS:
macOS
.pkg file. Double-click, follow the standard macOS installer.
Windows
.msi file. Double-click, follow the standard Windows installer.
Linux
.deb / .rpm or portable .zip. Install with your package manager.
Updates for the Pulse binary are free for every plan, for life, we gate features, not versions. Offline install: the installer is fully self-contained and can be transferred via USB to an air-gapped machine.
3. First run
Launch Pulse, a browser window opens automatically at http://localhost:9090. A four-step wizard guides you:
- 1
Welcome
Quick explanation of what Pulse does and what you'll set up next.
- 2
Admin account
Create your admin user (username + password).
- 3
AI provider
Pick Local (free, offline runtime), Cloud (any major LLM provider) or Skip for now (echo mode).
- 4
Done
A summary. Click Finish, you land on the main dashboard.
The dashboard sidebar
4. Deploy your first template
Templates are the fastest way to see Pulse do something useful.
- 1.Click Templates in the sidebar.
- 2.Pick one of the 10 free templates, appointment-scheduler is a great starting point.
- 3.Provide prerequisites (email creds, calendar, time zone). Pulse encrypts them locally.
- 4.Click Deploy, Pulse provisions agents, topic plumbing and credentials.
- 5.Send a test event, you'll see it processed within seconds.
Each template takes 2-5 minutes to deploy. Prerequisites are never invented, Pulse tells you up front what you need.
5. Build your own agent from scratch
Once a template is running, you'll start thinking 'what if I also...'. Time to build a custom agent.
Rule-based
Deterministic if/then logic. Fast, free, predictable.
LLM
A language model reasons about every event. Flexible, slower, costs tokens.
MCP
Calls external tools via Model Context Protocol (scraping, posting, querying DBs…).
Streaming
Production-grade stream processing via a no-code wizard: exactly-once, event-time windows, CEP, stateful, horizontally scalable.
- 1.Click Agents → + New agent.
- 2.Pick an engine (rule, LLM, MCP or streaming).
- 3.Give it a name, an input topic, an output topic.
- 4.For LLM agents, write a system prompt with the desired output schema.
- 5.For streaming agents, configure windows and patterns via the wizard.
- 6.Click Deploy. The agent is live immediately.
6. Activate a license
If you've subscribed to PRO, purchased a template, or been issued an ENTERPRISE license, you'll receive a license token by email, a long base64 string starting with eyJhbGci…
- 1.Go to Settings → License.
- 2.Paste the token into the License token field.
- 3.Click Activate.
- 4.The plan badge updates and premium templates unlock immediately.
Your license is tied to your email, not your machine. Reinstall on a new laptop and paste the same token.
7. What to explore next
Backups
Settings → Backups. Daily snapshots by default, test the restore flow.
Schedules
Attach a cron expression to any pipeline.
Chat
Ask the Pulse Assistant to explain what your agents are doing.
Shadow deploys
Pipelines → Shadows. Test a candidate pipeline against real traffic.
MCP plugins
Settings → MCP. Add more plugins from the registry.
8. Common first-hour questions
Where does Pulse store my data?
In a folder under your home directory. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Can I access Pulse from another device on my network?
Yes, edit pulse-config.yaml and set server.host: 0.0.0.0. Restart. Understand the security implications first.
What if my LLM stops working?
Agents retry with exponential backoff. Affected events land in the DLQ for reinjection once the LLM is back.
How do I uninstall?
Stop Pulse, delete the application bundle. Your data directory stays, reinstalls preserve everything.