# Quick start

Protect a real Codex or Claude session in a few commands.

1. Check that Pentect can find your client.

   ```sh
   pentect doctor
   ```

2. Launch the client through Pentect.

   ```sh
   pentect codex
   # or
   pentect claude
   ```

3. Work normally.

   Ask the agent to read a local configuration file or perform a task that
   requires a credential. Protected values appear to the model as handles such
   as `<<DATABASE_URL_4ce8a3b0a6f64e12>>`.

4. Watch local protection events when needed.

   ```sh
   pentect log
   ```

## What success looks like

If a protected file contains `DATABASE_URL=postgres://...`, the provider sees a
reference such as this instead of the credential:

```dotenv
DATABASE_URL=<<DATABASE_URL_4ce8a3b0a6f64e12>>
```

The agent can copy that handle into a completed local tool call. Pentect
resolves a known handle immediately before execution, then masks sensitive
stdout before it returns to the provider. `pentect log` records the protection
event and label, not the plaintext value.

Normal client arguments pass through unchanged:

```sh
pentect codex exec --full-auto
pentect claude --model sonnet
```

## Launch through Pentect by default

Add these functions to your shell profile, then restart the terminal. Existing
Codex and Claude arguments continue to work normally.

::: code-group

```powershell [PowerShell · $PROFILE]
function codex { & pentect codex @args }
function claude { & pentect claude @args }
```

```sh [Bash · ~/.bashrc or Zsh · ~/.zshrc]
codex() { command pentect codex "$@"; }
claude() { command pentect claude "$@"; }
```

```fish [Fish · ~/.config/fish/config.fish]
function codex
    command pentect codex $argv
end

function claude
    command pentect claude $argv
end
```

:::

After that, launch either client as usual:

```sh
codex exec --full-auto
claude --model sonnet
```

## Try masking without an agent

```sh
cat .env | pentect mask
cat terraform.tfvars | pentect mask
```

PowerShell:

```powershell
Get-Content .env -Raw | pentect mask
```

The output contains reusable handles. Plaintext is not printed back to the
terminal.

::: tip
These functions affect only that shell. Pentect protects each client process
launched through them; it does not create a system-wide proxy.
:::

## Next steps

- Use [Codex](/clients/codex/index.md) or [Claude](/clients/claude/index.md) for client-specific options.
- See [Structured data](/protection/structured-data/index.md) for dotenv, Terraform, Kubernetes, and JSON behavior.
- Review [Files and images](/protection/files-and-images/index.md) before sending uploads.
- Run `pentect doctor` again after changing a client installation or provider.