clearml-docs/docs/clearml_agent/clearml_agent_setup.md

---
title: Setup
---

## Installation 

:::note
If ClearML was previously configured, follow [this](#adding-clearml-agent-to-a-configuration-file) to add 
ClearML Agent specific configurations
:::

To install ClearML Agent, execute
```bash
pip install clearml-agent
```

:::info
Install ClearML Agent as a system Python package and not in a Python virtual environment.
An agent that runs in Virtual Environment Mode or Conda Environment Mode needs to create virtual environments, and
it can't do that when running from a virtual environment.
:::

## Configuration

1. In a terminal session, execute
   ```bash
   clearml-agent init
   ```

    The setup wizard prompts for ClearML credentials (see [here](../webapp/settings/webapp_settings_profile.md#clearml-credentials) about obtaining credentials).
    ```
    Please create new clearml credentials through the settings page in your `clearml-server` web app, 
    or create a free account at https://app.clear.ml/settings/webapp-configuration
    
    In the settings > workspace page, press "Create new credentials", then press "Copy to clipboard".

    Paste copied configuration here:    
    ```
    
    If the setup wizard's response indicates that a configuration file already exists, follow the instructions [here](#adding-clearml-agent-to-a-configuration-file). 
   The wizard does not edit or overwrite existing configuration files.

1. At the command prompt `Paste copied configuration here:`, copy and paste the ClearML credentials and press **Enter**. 
   The setup wizard confirms the credentials. 
        
   ```
   Detected credentials key="********************" secret="*******"
   ```
        
1. **Enter** to accept the default server URL, which is detected from the credentials or enter a ClearML web server URL.

   A secure protocol, https, must be used. **Do not use http.**
    
   ```
   WEB Host configured to: [https://app.clear.ml] 
   ```
        
   :::note
   If you are using a self-hosted ClearML Server, the default URL will use your domain.        
   :::
   
1. Do as above for API, URL, and file servers.

1. The wizard responds with your configuration:
   ```
   CLEARML Hosts configuration:
   Web App: https://app.clear.ml
   API: https://api.clear.ml
   File Store: https://files.clear.ml
        
   Verifying credentials ...
   Credentials verified!
   ```

1. Input the default output URI. Model checkpoints (snapshots) and task artifacts will be stored in this output location.

   ```
   Default Output URI (used to automatically store models and artifacts): (N)one/ClearML (S)erver/(C)ustom [None]
   ```

1. Enter your Git username and password. Leave blank for SSH key authentication or when only using public repositories.
   
   This is needed for cloning repositories by the agent.
   ```
   Enter git username for repository cloning (leave blank for SSH key authentication): []
   Enter password for user '<username>':
   ```     
   The setup wizard confirms your git credentials.
   ``` 
   Git repository cloning will be using user=<username> password=<password>        
   ```
1. Enter an additional artifact repository, or press **Enter** if not required.
   
   This is needed for installing Python packages not found in pypi. 

   ```
   Enter additional artifact repository (extra-index-url) to use when installing python packages (leave blank if not required):
   ```
    The setup wizard completes.
   
   ```
   New configuration stored in /home/<username>/clearml.conf
   CLEARML-AGENT setup completed successfully.
   ```
   
    The configuration file location depends upon the operating system:
            
    * Linux - `~/clearml.conf`
    * Mac - `$HOME/clearml.conf`
    * Windows - `\User\<username>\clearml.conf`

1. Optionally, configure ClearML options for **ClearML Agent** (default docker, package manager, etc.). See the [ClearML Configuration Reference](../configs/clearml_conf.md)
   and the [ClearML Agent Environment Variables reference](../clearml_agent/clearml_agent_env_var.md). 
   
:::note
The ClearML Enterprise server provides a [configuration vault](../webapp/settings/webapp_settings_profile.md#configuration-vault), the contents 
of which are categorically applied on top of the agent-local configuration
:::


### Adding ClearML Agent to a Configuration File

In case a `clearml.conf` file already exists, add a few ClearML Agent specific configurations to it.<br/>

**Adding ClearML Agent to a ClearML configuration file:**

1. Open the ClearML configuration file for editing. Depending upon the operating system, it is:
    * Linux - `~/clearml.conf`
    * Mac - `$HOME/clearml.conf`
    * Windows - `\User\<username>\clearml.conf`

1. After the `api` section, add your `agent` section. For example:
   ```
   agent {
       # Set GIT user/pass credentials (if user/pass are set, GIT protocol will be set to https)
       git_user=""
       git_pass=""
       # all other domains will use public access (no user/pass). Default: always send user/pass for any VCS domain
       git_host=""
   
       # Force GIT protocol to use SSH regardless of the git url (Assumes GIT user/pass are blank)
       force_git_ssh_protocol: false
   
       # unique name of this worker, if None, created based on hostname:process_id
       # Overridden with os environment: CLEARML_WORKER_NAME
       worker_id: ""
   }   
   ```
   View a complete ClearML Agent configuration file sample including an `agent` section [here](https://github.com/clearml/clearml-agent/blob/master/docs/clearml.conf).

1. Save the configuration.

### Dynamic Environment Variables
Dynamic ClearML Agent environment variables can be used to override any configuration setting that appears in the [`agent`](../configs/clearml_conf.md#agent-section) 
section of the `clearml.conf`.

The environment variable's name should be `CLEARML_AGENT__AGENT__<configuration-path>`, where `<configuration-path>` 
represents the full path to the configuration field being set. Elements of the configuration path should be separated by 
`__` (double underscore). For example, set the `CLEARML_AGENT__AGENT__DEFAULT_DOCKER__IMAGE` environment variable to 
deploy an agent with a different value to what is specified for `agent.default_docker.image` in the clearml.conf.

:::note NOTES
* Since configuration fields may contain JSON-parsable values, make sure to always quote strings (otherwise the agent 
might fail to parse them)
* To comply with environment variables standards, it is recommended to use only upper-case characters in 
environment variable keys. For this reason, ClearML Agent will always convert the configuration path specified in the 
dynamic environment variable's key to lower-case before overriding configuration values with the environment variable 
value.
:::