Your first verified branch in 5 minutes

--- title: "Your first verified branch in 5 minutes" description: "Zero-setup path: install Niki, point it at local Ollama, run a task on the worktree backend, read the report." pubDate: "2026-09-05" updated: "2026-09-08" difficulty: "beginner" time: "~5 min" ---

The fastest path to a verified branch needs no container runtime and no API key — just Ollama and the worktree backend.

1. Install Niki

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RavaniRoshan/niki/master/scripts/install.sh | bash

2. Pull a local coding model

ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:3b

3. Configure inside your project

cd ./my-app
niki init --interactive   # pick Ollama when offered — it's detected automatically

4. Run on the worktree backend

niki run "Add a /health endpoint" --backend worktree

The worktree backend uses an isolated git worktree and local processes — no Podman or Docker needed. (Niki prints a host-privilege warning so the tradeoff is explicit.)

5. Review the result

niki report <id>

You'll see the verdict, per-agent scores, exact token counts and cost — plus where the branch and artifacts live. Merge the niki/<id> branch when you're satisfied.

Next steps

• Full sandbox setup: sandboxing docs
• Plan-first workflow: plan mode