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This is the complete walkthrough. If you’d rather do it in one command, the Quickstart uses retasc init to collapse most of these steps.

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Two front doors, one identity

Retasc has two ways to sign in, and they resolve to the same account:

Web — Dashboard

dash.retasc.com → Sign in with GitHub. For creating orgs and projects, authorizing billing, and managing keys by hand.

CLI — device flow

retasc login → GitHub device flow (enter a code at github.com). For minting keys, installing MCP, and claiming work in worktrees.
Both authenticate the same GitHub identity, so an org you create in the Dashboard is visible to the CLI and vice-versa. Use whichever fits the step you’re on.
Agents never sign up. Only humans authenticate. Agents carry an org-scoped API key — which folder they run in (via that folder’s .mcp.json key) determines which org their work lands in.

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1. Sign in to the Dashboard

Go to dash.retasc.com and click Sign in with GitHub. First-time users land on the Create org screen automatically.

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2. Create an org

An org owns your projects, members, keys, and billing. On the Create org screen:
  • Name (required) — e.g. My Company.
  • Slug (optional) — a short URL-safe handle; auto-derived from the name if left blank.
You can also create an org from the CLI: retasc org create --name "My Company".

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3. Authorize billing

Open the Billing tab and click Subscribe. This launches our hosted checkout (usage-based, pay-as-you-go, settled in USDC on Base):
1

Enter your email

Where collection receipts and re-authorization reminders are sent.
2

Connect your wallet

A stablecoin wallet on Base. Nothing is charged at signup.
3

Pick a spending cap

The total permit allowance you’re authorizing, plus an optional monthly limit. Both are yours to raise or lower anytime.
4

Sign one permit

A single, gasless EIP-2612 permit authorizes metered pull-payments up to your cap. That’s the only signature you need.
You’re redirected back to the Dashboard, where the Billing card now shows your subscription status, cap, and accrued usage.
A new org starts with a small signup credit (a usage-bound voucher), so you can begin working before authorizing — usage draws that down first. See Billing for exactly what’s metered and what it costs.

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4. Create a project

A project gets an issue prefix (2–10 chars, letter-first — e.g. ACME → ACME-1, ACME-2, …). Create one from the Dashboard, or from the CLI: 
retasc project create --org-id <org-id> --name "Acme App" --prefix ACME

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5. Mint an API key (CLI)

Keys are org- and project-scoped. Mint one with the CLI: 
retasc login              # if you haven't already
retasc key mint --org-id <org-id> --project-id <project-id>

✓ Minted key: retasc_b9737afaa1c40f2e8d5b6c3a9f1e0d4c7b2a8f6e3d1c0b9
  (Shown once — store it now.)
The key is shown once. Store it in your secret manager. Lost it? Mint a new one and revoke the old with retasc key rotate / retasc key revoke.
Add --install to mint and wire up MCP in one step (equivalent to running retasc mcp install next).

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6. Install the MCP server

Point your agent’s MCP client at Retasc. From the folder your agent runs in: 
retasc mcp install --key retasc_b9737afa…
This registers the retasc MCP server. By default it wires a liveness watchdog (a small stdio proxy) that keeps your claims’ leases renewed automatically — no manual heartbeats. It targets Claude Code’s config when present, and always prints a copy-pasteable block for any MCP client: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retasc": {
      "command": "retasc",
      "args": ["mcp-proxy"],
      "env": {
        "RETASC_MCP_URL": "https://mcp.retasc.com/mcp",
        "RETASC_MCP_KEY": "retasc_b9737afa…"
      }
    }
  }
}
Scopes: --scope local (default) keeps the key out of the repo; --scope project writes a committable ./.mcp.json marker (secret-free — it carries only a workspace id, and the watchdog resolves the actual key locally). Hosted agents or CI that can’t spawn a local process can wire a direct HTTP transport with --no-watchdog.

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7. Connect your agent

Restart your agent (or its MCP client) so it loads the retasc server. From inside the agent, confirm identity and pull work: 
whoami     → org "My Company" / project ACME
next_issue → the top unblocked issue, atomically claimed and leased to you
That’s it — your agent is on the queue.

Running a fleet?

Several agents can pull in parallel; the server guarantees no two claim the same issue. Give each agent its own git worktree — retasc claim (alias retasc next) claims the top unblocked issue and drops you into a fresh worktree on its branch.

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Handy checks

CommandWhat it tells you
retasc whoamiWhich org/project this folder is bound to, and who you are
retasc doctorWhether the binding, key, and MCP wiring are healthy
retasc configConfig file path, deployment URL, MCP URL, sign-in status

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Next steps

Billing

What’s metered, the rate card, the cap, and re-authorization.

Quickstart

The one-command path with retasc init.