Get started

Install

Install Critias on macOS or Windows, add a model key and ask your first pricing question.

Critias runs on your own computer. You need about ten minutes and a key for the model provider you choose.

Prefer to stay in the AI agent you already use? Add the Pricing Plugin instead.

What you need

  • macOS or Windows
  • Node.js 22.19 or later, and Python 3.12
  • An API key and a model ID from one of: OpenAI, OpenRouter, Google AI Studio (Gemini) or Anthropic
  • Internet access for installation and model requests

Model requests use your key and can incur charges from your provider.

Install with npm

On macOS or Windows, with Node.js 22.19 or later and Python 3.12 (and Git for Windows on Windows):

npm install -g critias

Create a file named .env inside a .critias folder in your home folder (~/.critias/.env, or %USERPROFILE%\.critias\.env on Windows) with the key and the model for your provider, for example:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key
ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-sonnet-5-5

The others are OPENAI_*, OPENROUTER_* and GEMINI_*. List the models for a provider with critias models anthropic. Then start Critias with a folder for your business files:

critias ~/CritiasWorkspace

The first start creates a Python environment in ~/.critias/venv, which takes a minute and needs a network. Open the link it prints. npx critias works without a global install, and npm install -g critias again updates it. The clone steps below do the same thing from source.

macOS from a clone

git clone https://github.com/critias-ai/critias-pricing-agent.git
cd critias-pricing-agent/pricing-harness
bash scripts/setup-macos.sh
cp .env.example .env

Open .env and set the key and the model for your provider, for example ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_MODEL. The others are OPENAI_*, OPENROUTER_* and GEMINI_*. Keep this file out of Git.

Windows from a clone

You also need Git for Windows. Critias runs its analysis commands in Git Bash. Install Python 3.12 with the py launcher.

In PowerShell:

git clone https://github.com/critias-ai/critias-pricing-agent.git
cd critias-pricing-agent\pricing-harness
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\setup-windows.ps1
copy .env.example .env

Open .env and set the key and the model for your provider, for example ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and ANTHROPIC_MODEL. The others are OPENAI_*, OPENROUTER_* and GEMINI_*. Keep this file out of Git.

Choose a model

Critias uses the first provider in .env that has both a key and a model, in this order: OpenAI, OpenRouter, Gemini, Anthropic. It never switches model on its own. A saved ChatGPT login also works: set only OPENAI_MODEL. To list the models for a provider (openai, openrouter, google or anthropic) without making a request, run this from the pricing-harness folder, in bash or PowerShell:

npm run models -- anthropic

In the app, the thinking level is chosen beside Send, and starts at medium.

Start Critias

Start it with a folder for your business files. The folder is created if it does not exist.

bash scripts/start-macos.sh "$HOME/CritiasWorkspace"

On Windows, in PowerShell:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\start-windows.ps1 "$HOME\CritiasWorkspace"

Then open http://127.0.0.1:4317. Stop it with Ctrl+C.

Ask your first question

Attach a sales export and ask, for example: "Which products contributed most to the change in gross margin between these years?" Confirm the column meanings, currency, calendar and cost treatment when Critias asks. Confirmed facts are saved in .pricing/context.md inside your workspace and reused next time.

Update

Pull the latest release and run the setup script again:

git pull
bash scripts/setup-macos.sh

On Windows, run scripts\setup-windows.ps1 again in the same way as during installation.

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