# quickstart

5-minute quickstart

Install VAOS™, run an agent against your webcam, and watch the perception → action loop in real time.

$ pip install vaos

Install the runtime

Python 3.10+ on Linux/macOS. Linux ARM is the production target; macOS works for development.

installbash
pip install vaos
vaos --version

Run against your camera

Spin up the runtime against camera index 0 — VAOS auto-detects backend (Rockchip, Jetson, CPU, etc.).

runbash
vaos run --camera 0 --hardware auto

# Open the local dashboard at http://localhost:8800

Write your first agent

Agents receive Scene objects and emit actions. Five lines of code, full pipeline.

agent.pypython
from vaos import Runtime, Agent

runtime = Runtime(camera=0)

async def on_scene(scene):
    if scene.confidence > 0.85:
        print(f"VAOS sees: {scene.summary}")

runtime.attach(Agent(on_scene=on_scene))
runtime.start()

Inspect the Scene Contract

Open the dashboard or curl the API to see the structured output. Full schema →

scene.jsonjson
{
  "scene_id": "cam-entrance-20260507T091830Z",
  "objects": [
    { "type": "person", "confidence": 0.97 }
  ],
  "event": { "type": "presence", "severity": "low" },
  "sensor_reliability": 0.93,
  "metrics": { "latency_ms": 38 }
}

Add a plugin

Browse the plugin marketplace, then install one to extend perception, reasoning, or action.

plugin installbash
vaos plugin install ppe-detector
vaos plugin install mqtt-publisher
vaos run --camera 0 --plugins ppe-detector,mqtt-publisher

Browse plugins

Deploy to edge hardware

Pull the pre-built image for your SoC, mount your camera, run as a service.

deploybash
# Rockchip RK3588
docker pull vaos/edge:0.9.2-rk3588
docker run -d --device /dev/video0 vaos/edge:0.9.2-rk3588

# NVIDIA Jetson Orin
docker pull vaos/edge:0.9.2-jetson
Need help? Hop into the Discord or open an issue on GitHub. The core team is active daily.
Patent pending. The MIT license covers VAOS Core open-source components. Commercial licensing for derivative hardware/silicon products available — contact eye3.ai.