# Create a Tambo Project URL: /guides/setup-project/create-project Learn how to create a new Tambo project through the dashboard to start building AI-powered applications. ## Step 1: Sign Up or Log In Go to [console.tambo.co](https://console.tambo.co) and create an account or log in to your existing account. ## Step 2: Create a New Project 1. Click "Create Project" in the dashboard 2. Enter a project name (e.g., "My Chat App") ## Step 3: Get Your API Key 1. Click the "Create API Key" button 2. Copy your project API key ## Step 4: Add to Your Application Add the API key to your environment variables: ```bash title=".env.local" NEXT_PUBLIC_TAMBO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here ``` Note that this example uses NextJS client environment variable naming, but NextJS is not required. Then pass it to TamboProvider in your React application: ```tsx title="app/layout.tsx" import { TamboProvider } from "@tambo-ai/react"; export default function RootLayout({ children, }: { children: React.ReactNode; }) { return ( {children} ); } ``` ## Next Steps Now that you have your project set up, you can start sending messages and getting responses from Tambo! Learn how to build conversation interfaces: * [Build a Custom Chat Interface](/guides/build-interfaces/build-chat-interface) to create your conversation UI Or configure how Tambo behaves: * [Configure Agent Behavior](/guides/setup-project/agent-behavior) to customize how your agent responds * [Configure LLM Provider](/guides/setup-project/llm-provider) to select your AI model and settings * [Give Tambo Components to Generate](/guides/enable-generative-ui/register-components) to enable AI-generated UI