# init
URL: /cli/commands/init

`npx tambo init`

Walks you through creating a Tambo project and getting your free API Key. If you don't already have an account, <a href="https://tambo.co/dashboard" className="text-secondary hover:underline font-medium">sign up for free</a> to get your API key.

After obtaining your API key, you'll need to set it up in your project:

<Callout type="info" title="API Key Setup">
  Create a `.env.local` file in the root of your project to store your Tambo API
  key: `NEXT_PUBLIC_TAMBO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here` Replace
  `your_api_key_here` with the actual API key you received during setup. This
  file should not be committed to version control as it contains sensitive
  information.
</Callout>

**Examples:**

```bash
# Interactive setup
npx tambo init

# Skip prompts and use defaults
npx tambo init --yes

# Use legacy peer deps
npx tambo init --legacy-peer-deps
```