# Quickstart

> From signing up to your agent looking at a cloud Android phone in five steps: get a phone, create an API key, connect over MCP and take a screenshot.

From signing up to your agent looking at a phone, in five steps.

### 1. Sign up and get a phone

[Start a free trial](https://app.distilled.cx/register?start=trial&from=docs) in the console, or top up your balance by card. Then, on the Phones page, pick a model and allocate a phone. It is paid for from your balance, 30 days at once or by the minute while it runs, and the balance has to cover it before you can add one. You can also allocate over the API; see [Phones](https://distilled.cx/docs/phones/).

### 2. Create an API key

In the console, go to [Developers → API keys](https://app.distilled.cx/developers/api-keys), name the key and pick its scopes. A key is shown once, so put it in your secret manager or an environment variable straight away.

```bash
export DISTILLED_KEY="dk_live_..."
```

### 3. Check that it works

`GET /v1/me` accepts any valid key and tells you which workspace it belongs to and what it may do.

```bash
curl https://api.distilled.cx/v1/me \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DISTILLED_KEY"
```

200 OK:

```json
{
  "workspace": { "id": "acme", "name": "Acme" },
  "key": {
    "id": "k7m2p4x5q3r6t2w5",
    "name": "agent",
    "scopes": [
      "phones:read", "phones:write", "control:write",
      "runs:read", "runs:write", "skills:read", "skills:write",
      "billing:read", "billing:write"
    ]
  }
}
```

### 4. Connect your agent

Add the server to your MCP client's configuration. Where that lives and its exact format depend on the client, but most take an entry like this one: the URL, and your key as a bearer token.

mcp.json:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "distilled": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.distilled.cx/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer dk_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### 5. Look at a phone

List your phones with `GET /v1/phones`, then ask one for a screenshot. Your agent can do the same with the `screenshot` tool.

```bash
curl https://api.distilled.cx/v1/phones/phone-1/observe \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DISTILLED_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "screenshot": { "maxEdge": 960 } }'
```

Source: https://distilled.cx/docs/quickstart/