Docs/Getting Started/Advanced Setup

Advanced Setup

Deep customization: API keys, model selection, workspace config, memory tuning, and automation.

API Key Configuration

While your agent helps you set up API keys during onboarding, you can manually configure multiple providers for different use cases:

Settings → API Keys
Anthropic (Claude)
Active
sk-ant-api03-...•••••••...xyz
OpenAI (GPT + Whisper)
Active
sk-proj-...•••••••...abc
ElevenLabs (Voice)
Optional
Not configured

API keys are stored encrypted in your macOS Keychain. They're never synced or sent to Pinchr servers — only directly to the AI provider APIs.

⚠️

Never share your API keys. If a key is leaked, revoke it immediately from your provider's dashboard and add a new one in Pinchr.

Model Selection

Choose which AI model your main agent and sub-agents use:

Main Agent Model
claude-opus-4.6Recommended
Sub-Agent Default Model
gpt-5.2Fast & cost-effective
Thinking Level
Medium~3-5s reasoning

Advanced users can override models per agent in Settings → Agents. You can also set fallback models if your primary provider has an outage.

Workspace Customization

Customize how Pinchr organizes your work:

📁
Working Directory

Set a default folder where your agent saves files, logs, and automation scripts.

~/Documents/Pinchr
🎨
Theme & Appearance

Dark mode (default), light mode, or system sync. Adjust font size, sidebar width, and chat density.

⌨️
Keyboard Shortcuts

Customize all keybindings in Settings → Keyboard. Supports vim-style bindings and chord sequences.

AGENTS.md File

Power users can define custom agent behaviors with an AGENTS.md file in their workspace root:

# Custom Agents
## Code Reviewer
Role: Code review specialist
Model: claude-opus-4.6
Thinking: high
Tools: GitHub, Slack
Instructions:
When reviewing code, focus on:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance bottlenecks
- Code style consistency
- Test coverage
## Customer Support
Role: Support agent
Model: gpt-5.2
Tools: Slack, Email, Zendesk
Instructions:
Respond empathetically. Escalate billing issues to humans.

Place this file in your workspace root. Pinchr loads it automatically on startup. Changes take effect immediately — no restart required.

💡

Most users manage agents through the Settings UI. AGENTS.md is for version-controlled workspaces or teams sharing agent configs.

Memory Configuration

Fine-tune how your agent remembers and recalls information:

🧠
Memory Retention

Choose how long your agent keeps conversation history and task context:

🔍
Semantic Search

Enable embedding-based search to find relevant context from old conversations. Requires OpenAI API key.

📝
Memory Notes

Your agent automatically creates memory notes about your preferences. Review and edit them in Settings → Memory.

Memory data is stored locally in ~/.pinchr/memory/. You can back it up or sync it via iCloud/Dropbox symlinks.

Cron Jobs & Scheduled Tasks

Set up recurring automations that run on a schedule:

Morning Briefing
Active
Summarize unread emails, check calendar, report task progress
Every day at 8:00 AM
Server Health Check
Active
Ping production servers, check logs for errors, alert if down
Every 15 minutes
Weekly Report
Paused
Generate task completion report and send to team Slack
Every Friday at 5:00 PM

Create cron jobs by telling your agent: "Run [task] every [schedule]". Your agent creates the automation and shows you a preview before enabling it.

💡

Cron jobs run even when Pinchr is closed (via macOS background daemon). View logs and history in Settings → Automations.

Environment Variables

For scripts, MCP servers, and automations, you can define environment variables:

DATABASE_URLpostgres://localhost/mydb
SLACK_TOKENxoxb-••••••••••
AWS_REGIONus-east-1

Set these in Settings → Environment. Your agent can reference them in automations, and MCP servers inherit them automatically.

Import/Export Settings

Back up your Pinchr configuration or sync it across devices:

Export Configuration

Includes: agent configs, automations, keyboard shortcuts, MCP servers. Excludes: API keys, memory data.

Import Configuration

Restores settings from a previously exported file. Your agent will prompt for any missing API keys.

CLI Access (Coming Soon)

A command-line interface for Pinchr is in development. It will let you:

  • Send tasks to your agent from the terminal
  • Trigger automations via scripts
  • Pipe data into your agent for processing
  • Query task status and memory from shell scripts

Join Discord for early access when the CLI launches.

Need help with advanced setup?

Join our community or reach out — we're here to help.