Quickstart
This guide will take you from zero to searching your data with Airweave in under 5 minutes. You’ll create a collection, connect a data source, and make your first search query.
Choose Your Path
Start by deciding how you want to run Airweave. We recommend our cloud platform for the fastest setup, but you can also self-host for complete control.
🚀 Cloud Platform (Recommended)
Get started instantly with our hosted platform - no setup required!
- Sign up at app.airweave.ai
- Create an account and complete onboarding
- You’re ready! Continue to Step 2 below
Free tier available - Perfect for testing and small projects. No credit card required to start.
🛠️ Self-Hosted
Full control by running Airweave in your own environment.
macOS / Linux
Windows
That’s it! Access your dashboard at http://localhost:8080
Requirements: Docker and Docker Compose must be installed on your system.
Create Your First Collection
Collections are logical groups of data sources that get their own searchable endpoints. Start by choosing a source from the dashboard:
📱 Using the Dashboard (Recommended)
- Navigate to your dashboard
- Click directly on a source (like Notion, Slack, GitHub)
- Enter collection details when prompted
🌐 Using the REST API
Create a collection programmatically with our REST API:
Response:
Getting your API key
Find your API key in the dashboard under Settings > API Keys, or create one if you don’t have any yet.
🐍 Using Python SDK
Install the SDK:
Getting your API key
Find your API key in the dashboard under Settings > API Keys, or create one if you don’t have any yet.
🟨 Using Node.js SDK
Install the SDK:
Getting your API key
Find your API key in the dashboard under Settings > API Keys, or create one if you don’t have any yet.
Connect Your First Data Source
Now you’ll authenticate and configure your chosen data source. The process varies by source type:
🎯 Using the Dashboard (Easiest)
After creating your collection, you’ll be prompted to connect to the source:
- Enter Connection Details
- Authenticate
OAuth2 sources (Google, Slack) open a popup for authorization. API key sources (Stripe, Notion) validate immediately.
- Configure Source (Optional)
Some sources have config options like exclude patterns (Google Drive) or specific branches (GitHub).
- Connect
🎉 You're connected!
➡️ You’ll automatically be taken to your collection detail view to watch the sync progress!
🌐 Using the REST API
Create source connections programmatically with our REST API. Here’s an example using Stripe (API key authentication):
Response:
OAuth2 Sources
For OAuth2 sources (Google Drive, Slack, etc.), see our Direct Token Authentication guide for the multi-step authentication flow.
🐍 Using Python SDK
Getting your API key
Find your API key in the dashboard under Settings > API Keys, or create one if you don’t have any yet.
OAuth2 Sources
For OAuth2 sources (Google Drive, Slack, etc.), see our Direct Token Authentication guide to learn how to provide access tokens.
🟨 Using Node.js SDK
Getting your API key
Find your API key in the dashboard under Settings > API Keys, or create one if you don’t have any yet.
OAuth2 Sources
For OAuth2 sources (Google Drive, Slack, etc.), see our Direct Token Authentication guide to learn how to provide access tokens.
Search Your Data
Airweave offers two powerful search modes:
- 🔍 Raw Results: Get relevant documents and data snippets directly
- 🤖 AI Completion: Have an LLM analyze the data and provide intelligent responses
🔍 Using the Dashboard
In your collection detail view:
- Watch the sync progress in real-time
- Use the search bar to query your data, e.g.:
- “What are our product features?”
- “Show me recent customer feedback”
- “Find documentation about API authentication”
Results appear instantly with relevant snippets and source attribution! 🎉
Toggle between modes: Use the dropdown next to the search bar to switch between Raw Results and AI Completion modes.
🌐 Using the REST API
Get Raw Search Results:
Response:
Get AI Completion:
Response:
Response Types
raw
: Returns search results onlycompletion
: Returns search results + AI-generated response based on the data
🐍 Using Python SDK
Get Raw Search Results:
Get AI Completion:
Import ResponseType from airweave.schemas
to use type-safe response type constants.
🟨 Using Node.js SDK
Get Raw Search Results:
Get AI Completion:
Use ResponseType enum for type-safe response type selection: ResponseType.RAW
or ResponseType.COMPLETION
.
🎉 You’re All Set!
Congratulations! You’ve successfully:
- ✅ Set up Airweave (cloud or self-hosted)
- ✅ Created your first collection
- ✅ Connected a data source with proper authentication
- ✅ Made your first search query
Your data is now searchable and ready for your AI agents to use!
🎯 Pro Tip
For the best agent experience: Once you have multiple sources connected, try asking complex questions that span different data sources. Airweave’s semantic search will find relevant information across all your connected apps!
What’s Next?
Now that you have Airweave running, here are some powerful ways to extend your setup:
Use with Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible agent Enable your agents to search across all your data sources
Connect your entire data ecosystem Browse our 28+ pre-built connectors and add them to your collection
Dive deeper into the API Customize sync schedules, transformations, and search parameters
Add custom sources Easily create new connectors for any data source