# Quickstart

> Read a simulated room in test mode, then switch to your Cymo by swapping the key.

## Create a test key

Open the dashboard, go to **API keys** and create a key while in test mode. Set it as `CYMO_API_KEY`. Test keys start with `cym_test_` and only ever read the simulator.

## Make a request

Every test project has a simulated bedroom, `room_bedroom`. The response is `{ data, meta }`, and `meta.livemode` is `false`.

`terminal`

```sh
curl "https://api.cymatics.tech/v1/vitals?room_id=room_bedroom" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CYMO_API_KEY"
```

## Install the SDK

```sh
npm install @cymos/sdk
```

Requires Node.js 20.19 or later. The [SDK guide](https://docs.cymatics.tech/sdk) covers options, pagination, streams, errors and retries.

## Read vitals

`agent.ts`

```ts
import { Cymo } from "@cymos/sdk";

const cymo = new Cymo({ apiKey: process.env.CYMO_API_KEY! });

const { data, meta } = await cymo.vitals.get({ room_id: "room_bedroom" });
for (const person of data.people) {
  console.log(person.track_id, person.signals.heart_rate_bpm?.value);
}
console.log(meta.livemode); // false: test keys read the simulator
```

## Stream a room

`agent.ts`

```ts
for await (const message of cymo.rooms.stream({ room_id: "room_bedroom" })) {
  console.log(message.kind, message.data);
}
```

## Or use the CLI

`cymatics login` saves a key for your terminal. Every command prints the same JSON envelope, or one NDJSON line per message for streams.

```sh
npm install -g @cymos/cli
```

`terminal`

```sh
$ cymatics login
$ cymatics vitals get --room room_bedroom --json
$ cymatics vitals stream --room room_bedroom --max-events 3
```

See the [CLI guide](https://docs.cymatics.tech/cli) for profiles, scenarios, the local simulator and webhook forwarding.

## Connect an agent

`mcp.json`

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cymo": {
      "url": "https://mcp.cymatics.tech/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer cym_test_…"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

The MCP server has one tool per API operation, named after it: `get_room`, `get_vitals`, `create_scenario_run` and so on. Each endpoint page names its tool. Tools call the API with your key, so its scopes, limits and metering apply. Add `?read_only=1` to the URL to list only tools that read.

Stream tools return a bounded window instead of an open stream: they stop after `duration_ms` (default 10 s, up to 60 s) or `max_samples` messages (default 20, up to 200) and say whether more followed. Raw radar bytes have no tool. The [MCP guide](https://docs.cymatics.tech/mcp) has the setup for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and more.