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Step 1 of 10

Install Infrastructure

1of 10~15 min
  • How to orchestrate multiple terminal sessions with ntm
  • The Agent Mail message-passing architecture
  • Setting up the brenner CLI for session management
What you'll do
  • Install ntm (Named Tmux Manager)
  • Set up and start Agent Mail server
  • Install and verify the brenner CLI

The Multi-Agent Stack

Running three AI agents in parallel requires coordination infrastructure. You'll set up:

  • 1ntm — Named Tmux Manager for running agents in persistent terminal sessions
  • 2Agent Mail — Message-passing server for agent coordination
  • 3brenner CLI — Session management and artifact compilation

1Install ntm (Named Tmux Manager)

ntm lets you create named tmux sessions and panes. Each AI agent will run in its own pane, allowing you to monitor all three simultaneously.

Install via Cargo (Rust):

Terminal
cargo install ntm

Don't have Rust? Install with: curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Or download pre-built binary:

Terminal
# Visit releases page and download for your platform
# https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/releases
# Example for Linux x64:
wget https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/ntm/releases/latest/download/ntm-linux-x64
chmod +x ntm-linux-x64
sudo mv ntm-linux-x64 /usr/local/bin/ntm

Verify installation:

Terminal
ntm --version

2Set Up Agent Mail

Agent Mail is the coordination bus. Agents post messages to threads, read their inbox, and acknowledge receipt. This enables asynchronous collaboration.

Terminal
# Clone the Agent Mail repository
git clone https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/mcp-agent-mail.git
cd mcp-agent-mail
# Install dependencies
bun install
# Start the server
bun run start

In a new terminal, verify the server is running:

Terminal
curl http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp/health
# Expected: {"status":"ok","version":"..."}
Pro Tip
Keep Agent Mail running in its own terminal tab. You can also run it as a background service or use tmux to keep it alive. The server persists messages to disk, so restarting is safe.

3Install the brenner CLI

The brenner CLI manages research sessions, compiles artifacts from agent deltas, and provides utilities for corpus search and excerpt building.

Terminal
# Clone the BrennerBot repository
git clone https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/brenner_bot.git
cd brenner_bot
# Run the installer
./install.sh

Verify installation:

Terminal
brenner --version
brenner doctor

What brenner doctor checks:

  • ✓ Corpus file exists and is readable
  • ✓ Dependencies are installed
  • ✓ Configuration is valid
  • ✓ Agent Mail is reachable (if configured)

✓Verify Everything

Run these commands to confirm all infrastructure is ready:

Terminal
# Check ntm
ntm --version
# Check Agent Mail health
curl http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp/health
# Check brenner CLI
brenner --version
brenner doctor

Infrastructure Ready? If all three tools are working, you're ready to configure your AI agent subscriptions in the next step.