> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://filepacks.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Go from a directory of output to a verified, portable .fpk in under a minute.

Go from a directory of output to a verified, portable .fpk in under a minute.

## Install the CLI

filepacks requires Node.js `>=18.0.0`. Run it from a clean shell with `npx`:

```bash theme={null}
npx filepacks --help
```

If you want the command on your `PATH`, install it globally:

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g filepacks
filepacks --help
```

The commands below use `npx filepacks ...` so the walkthrough stays copy-pasteable from a clean local state.

## Step 1. Pack a run

Point filepacks at any directory. It seals the files into one .fpk with a canonical manifest and a per-file SHA-256.

```bash theme={null}
npx filepacks pack ./run --output run.fpk
```

## Step 2. Inspect it

See what got packaged without unpacking it.

```bash theme={null}
npx filepacks inspect run.fpk
```

## Step 3. Verify it

Confirm the artifact is byte-for-byte what was produced. Same input, same bytes, every time.

```bash theme={null}
npx filepacks verify run.fpk
```

## Step 4. Compare two runs

Pack a second run, then diff it against the first to see what changed when you adjusted a prompt, model, or tool.

```bash theme={null}
npx filepacks compare baseline.fpk run.fpk
```

## What's in a .fpk

A .fpk is a sealed archive with two parts: a manifest with the canonical file list and digests, and the payload, which is the original files kept readable. Humans review the payload, tooling reads the manifest.

[CLI reference](/cli) for all four commands and their options.