# Getting Started: Basecamp for Engineers


Basecamp is your personal operations center. It syncs email and calendar, builds
a knowledge graph, drafts responses, and prepares meeting briefings — all
running as scheduled AI tasks in the background.

## Prerequisites

- Node.js 18+
- npm
- macOS (for Apple Mail and Calendar sync)
- Claude Code installed via **Homebrew** (`brew install claude`) — Basecamp
  spawns `claude` as a subprocess and the Homebrew install supports
  `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` for enterprise CA certificates

If your network requires a custom CA bundle, add an `env` block to
`~/.fit/basecamp/scheduler.json`:

```json
{
  "env": {
    "NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS": "~/.config/ssl/ca-bundle.pem"
  }
}
```

## Install

```sh
npm install @forwardimpact/basecamp
```

## Initialize a knowledge base

```sh
npx fit-basecamp init ~/Documents/Personal
```

## Check status

```sh
npx fit-basecamp status
```

## Run the scheduler

```sh
npx fit-basecamp daemon
```

Basecamp runs as a macOS status menu app with scheduled AI tasks handling
background work. The CLI scheduler works on any platform.

## macOS Privacy & Security

Basecamp agents need access to specific folders (Documents, Mail, Calendar).
When macOS prompts, grant only the folders each process needs via **System
Settings > Privacy & Security > Files & Folders**:

- **Basecamp.app** — the TCC responsible process (Swift launcher)
- **node** — runs skill scripts with `#!/usr/bin/env node` shebangs
- **"2.1.72"** (or another version number) — this is the **Claude Code CLI**.
  macOS shows its version string instead of a name. Safe to grant per-folder
  access.

---

## Next steps

- [Basecamp product page](/basecamp/) — feature overview and core skills
- [Knowledge systems](/docs/guides/knowledge-systems/) — deep dive into Basecamp
  features