Setup

Get the API keys working so SuperCMO can generate, then set up the brand from the user's website.

Workflow

Step 1: Check what's set up

Call setup_status with check: true to see which capabilities already work. It validates any keys that are set and never generates.

Where setup_status isn't there at all — the tool doesn't exist yet — the install just ran and the agent hasn't loaded the SuperCMO tools. Ask the user to restart the agent, then try again; only if it's still missing after a restart is it a broken install.

First time through, nothing is set up: go straight to Step 2. Where a working setup is already there, skip to Step 4.

Step 2: Set up the key

The managed key is the default — one command, one key covering every capability, pay per use. Set it up unless the user has specifically asked to bring their own keys; don't raise the bring-your-own route yourself.

npx --yes github:SupercmoHQ/superCMO-skills login

It opens SuperCMO in your browser to sign in and authorize this device; the key is written to ~/.supercmo/.env automatically. Buy credits in the web app (no card needed to sign in). Run it for the user once they're ready — it needs their sign-in.

Only when the user asks to bring their own keys, set those up instead — free, straight to the vendors. Not all five are needed: an image + video key (WAVESPEED_API_KEY) is enough to start generating, and voiceover, analysis and website reading can be added when a task calls for them. Ask only for the capabilities they actually want.

Key	Enables	Get it at
WAVESPEED_API_KEY	generate images + video (recommended)	https://wavespeed.ai/dashboard
FAL_KEY	generate images + video (also supported)	https://fal.ai/dashboard/keys
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY	generate voiceover + narration	https://elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys
GEMINI_API_KEY	analyze a photo or video	https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
FIRECRAWL_API_KEY	extract data from URLs	https://www.firecrawl.dev/app/api-keys

Keys go in ~/.supercmo/.env, one per line (WAVESPEED_API_KEY=their-key). Every host reads that file live — no restart. A shell export, or the host's own MCP env block, also works and takes precedence over the file. With both image keys set WaveSpeed is used; SUPERCMO_MEDIA_PROVIDER=fal picks the other.

Step 3: Verify

Re-run setup_status with check: true and say what changed — which capabilities went from blocked to ready. Don't declare success from the fact that a file was written.

Where a key still doesn't register, the causes in order of likelihood: the variable name is misspelled in ~/.supercmo/.env, the key was pasted with surrounding quotes or a trailing space, or an old export in the shell is shadowing the file.

Step 4: Set up the brand

Offer it — "keys work; want me to set up your brand from your website?" — and on yes, trigger the onboarding-user skill.

Step 5: Suggest what to do next

Close with this list:

• Create a UGC video — a creator-style video for your product.
• Create a product ad video — a produced ad or commercial for your product.
• Generate product photos — packshots and lifestyle shots from one product photo.
• Research competitor ads — what's working in your category, and what nobody runs.

Edge cases

• setup_status isn't available and nothing generates → the skills were installed without the MCP server. Reinstall with npx --yes github:SupercmoHQ/superCMO-skills --claude (or --cursor, --codex, --all), which wires both.
• A probe fails on a key that is set → the vendor rejected it: expired, revoked, or from the wrong product. Name the vendor and have them re-issue it; don't retry.
• The user asks which lane is better → managed is fastest to working and pay-per-use; their own keys go straight to the vendor, but they would need to manage multiple keys with different vendors and ensure each has sufficient balance. Both are fully supported. It is their call.
• The user only wants one capability — just voiceover, just images → set up that key alone and say plainly which capabilities stay blocked.
• The user asks about credits, billing or top-ups → that lives in the web app; point them there rather than guessing balances.