Getting Started with GUIDE
Automate your Enterprise workflow with Agents.
(Beta Release version 1.0.0)
Overview
Guide allows AI packages like Anthropic’s Claude to use the keyboard and mouse on a Windows system to operate programs directly. Most AI agents can only use programs or Web sites with an API interface: they can’t use human-oriented user interfaces. Guide can and does. This not only broadens the range of tasks that can be performed, it approaches the tasks in the way that is more familiar to human operators.
During operation, logs screen shots of each step and reports what it’s thinking and what it’s trying to do, allowing its operation to be verified and corrected simply.
Terminology
In the context of Guide:
Guide (capitalized) is the AI enhancement package.
Development system. A Windows device running Guide.
An Agent (capitalized) is an Agent created and run under Guide. (AI agents in general are not capitalized.)
Agent system. A Windows device running Guide Agents. This can be a different system from the development system.
Implementation
Guide is implemented as an application that runs on Microsoft Windows. It makes API calls to cloud-based AI engines such as Anthropic’s Claude. (It currently does not support locally hosted AIs.)
Guide’s Agents can run locally on the Guide development system (the same system on which Guide is installed), or on a remote Agent system, where Guide controls the Agent via RDP (remote desktop protocol) session. When running, the Agent takes over the keyboard and mouse, and the maximum supported screen resolution is 1280x800 pixels. Running Agents on a remote Agent system is recommended except for brief periods of testing.
You create Guide Agents on the development system and run them either on the development system or a remote Agent system.
You can publish Agents so other members of your team can use them, and they can publish Agents that you can use.
The development system is a Windows device with Internet access (the underlying AI’s API must be accessible).
The remote Agent system, if present, is a Windows device that is accessible via Remote Desktop and has access to the Internet. The remote Agent system is optional.
Installation
Installation always involves choosing or creating a Windows system to serve as a development system, then optionally configuring a remote Agent system.
Prerequisites
Development System and Agent System
Windows 10 or Windows 11
Internet Connection (Required for AI model access and agent execution)
Development System Only
Visual Studio Code: Latest version (1.80.0 or higher). This will be installed as part of the procedure below.
Simplest Installation
This uses your usual Windows system as both a development system and the Agent system.
Important: Keep in mind that an Agent controls the mouse and keyboard and you must reduce your monitor’s display to 1280x800 or less while it is running.
Follow the instructions in Installation Steps for Development Machine.
Recommended Installations
If you have access to multiple Windows devices, we recommend using one of the following:
Instead of using your main Windows device for Guide, install Guide on a remotely accessible system and use it as both development system and Agent system. The installation procedure is the same as a local installation: Installation Steps for Development Machine.
Install Guide on either your main Windows device or a different one and use a separate Windows system as your remote Agent system.
For the development system, follow Installation Steps for Development Machine.
For the remote Agent system, follow Remote Agent VM Setup.
Installation Steps for Development Machine
Download GUIDE
You can download Guide from the Guide Management portal or directly via a link.
Download GUIDE from the GUIDE Management Portal
In a browser (Edge and Chrome are the browsers that have been tested), go to the GUIDE Management Portal at https://manage.runguide.ai.
Sign into your work account using Google authentication.
Click the My Account icon in the upper right corner.
Click “Download” to download the installation files, which come in a ZIP archive with a name like “GuideUserSetup_1.0.0.zip.”
Inside the ZIP archive is a GuideSetup.exe (and also this document and GuideRuntimeInstaller.exe, which is used for remote Agents).
Launch GuideUserSetup (you can do this from inside the ZIP archive, without extracting it first), and install Guide in the usual way, as shown below.
During this process, you can customize the following settings (only “Add to PATH” is enabled by default).
Installation location (“C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Programs\Guide\”).
Name of the Start File shortcut (default is “Guide”).
Create a desktop icon
Add “Open with Guide” to the Windows Explorer file/directory context menus.
Register Guide as an editor for default file types.
Add to PATH.
Download GUIDE via a Link
If you are instructed to use a download link instead of the GUIDE management portal:
In a browser, use the link to download the GuideSetup.exe installation program.
Launch GuideSetup.exe and install it in the usual way, as shown above.
Configure the Development Machine
Launch Guide.
Wait for “Sign in with Google” to appear.
Sign in using your work account.
The left-hand pane will display GUIDE options.
Agents
The “Agents” section lists:
“My Agents,” the agents you have created (currently none). Clicking on an Agent takes you to its Agent page, where you can run or edit it.
“Published Agents,” which, when clicked, lists any agents shared by other members of your team. You can run published Agents.
Model Settings
Click on “Model Settings” to show the Model Settings page:
Agent Folder: Where your agents are stored. (Defaults to “C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\guide\”.)
Model: The AI model used by your Agents by default.
You can override this with individual Agents when desired.
We recommend trying different models when available.
Display Resolution (Important)
Must match the actual resolution of your display or RDP connection
(changing your resolution in Windows Display Options just before running an Agent is one method).
Maximum resolution is 1280x800 pixels. The Agent will not work accurately if resolution is higher.
Set your desktop background to a solid color (no wallpaper).
Runtime Settings
Used to create remote Agent configurations.
Leave as-is for now. The default configuration runs Agents locally.
Remote configurations contain address and login information for the remote system.
Launch Console
Opens the Guide Admin Portal.
Creating Your First Agent
Click the “+” symbol in the “Agents” section on the left-hand pane.
Fill in the first and second Create New Agent pages:
Give the Agent a name.
Leave “Persona” blank.
The most important field is “Workflow,” where you describe what the Agent is supposed to do. This will be parsed and turned into a more precise step-by-step version that you can review and edit as needed.
Click “Next.”
On the second page, leave “Model” at the default for now.
The screen resolution must match the resolution of your display when you run the Agent.
Click “Save.”
Note: Instruct your Agent to save its answer to a file. It does not do this by default, nor does it report its result in its setp-by-step narrative.
Next, Guide will translate and expand your workflow into a detailed step-by-step plan. It will also take things like URLs and file names and put them into variables, allowing the workflow to be reused by changing just the variables.
Running a Step or the Entire Agent
Clicking the blue “Play” icon at the bottom of the page (see above) will run the entire Agent. You can also run it step by step by clicking the “Step” button at the top of the page, which shows an alternate display with a “Play” icon for each step:
Once you press “Play,” a red “Stop” button appear. Avoid using the keyboard or mouse, since the Agent needs to control it.
The exception is when you need to stop the Agent by putting the mouse over the Stop button and clicking it.
Monitoring Execution
As execution proceeds, you can watch the Agent open Web sites or applications with the keyboard and mouse. In addition, a record is kept of each step the Agent takes, with a narrative and a screen shot for every step. This allows even non-programmers to understand what’s happening in a way that lets them make corrections.
Editing the Agent
Use the pencil icon to the left of the Agent’s name in the left-hand pane to edit the Agent or its variables.
Using Variables
The “Variables” button near the top of the Agent editing screen will show the variables defined for this Agent and allow you add more or edit or delete existing ones.
Two variables, “current_datetime” and “os_platform,” cannot be edited or deleted. These are the current date and time and the operating system architecture, version, and build.
Publishing the Agent
When editing or running the Agent, there is a “Publish” button near the top of the screen. Clicking it will publish the Agent for the rest of your team. It pops up a page first, in case you want to change some of the Agent’s fields.
Advanced steps for Remote Run
Required ONLY if you want to run your Agent remotely on a VM. If you are running locally, you can skip these steps.
⚙️ Runtime Configuration
Accessing Runtime Settings
- Open Guide sidebar
- Under SETTINGS, click Runtime Settings
System Default Configuration
- Named Default Local Config
- Cannot be edited or deleted
- Used for local execution
- All agents inherit it automatically
Adding New Runtime Configurations
Click + in Runtime Settings page:
Local Configuration
- Runs agents on your machine
Remote Configuration
- Runs agents on a Windows VM
- Make sure Remote VM is accessible (via RDP) from your machine.
- Your RDP Credentials are securely stored in Windows Credential Manager
- Do NOT delete credentials manually
Remote Execution Setup
1. Set up remote machine
- Remote Windows VM reachable via network
- Install prerequisites
2. Configure Credentials
- Choose Remote in Add Configuration
- Enter IP, username, password
- Credentials stored securely
3. Test Connection
- Save config
- Create test agent
- Run a simple task
Remote Agent VM Setup
Follow these instructions to prepare the remote VM for Guide Runtime.
1. RDP into the Remote VM
Log in using the actual end user's account.
⚠️ Do NOT use an admin account for installation.
2. Download Guide Runtime Installer
GuideRuntimeInstaller.exe
3. Install Guide Runtime
GUIDE Runtime Installation
- Double-click the installer
- Select installation directory
- If path doesn't exist → installer will ask to create it
- Installation completes
Silent Installation:
Run the following command in command prompt (CMD):
GuideRuntimeInstaller.exe /Q /T:<Complete_Installation_path>
Example:
GuideRuntimeInstaller.exe /Q /T:"C:\AIAgentHelper\AIAgentHelper\install\tmp"
4. Setup Auto-Launch of Guide Runtime for the User
This ensures GuideRuntime.exe automatically starts every time the user logs in through RDP.
⚠️ Important Rules
- Must be run from user account, not admin
- PowerShell must be run as Administrator
- The scheduled task must be registered inside the user’s session
Steps:
1. Open elevated PowerShell (Run as Administrator)
2. Navigate to the Guide Runtime installation folder:
cd "C:\Path\To\GuideRuntime"
3. Run the login-task creation script:
.\Create-RDPLoginTask.ps1 <username>
Tip — to check username:
quser
5. Remote VM Setup Complete
Guide Runtime will now start automatically on every RDP login.
6. Debugging Guide Runtime
You can find the Guide Runtime logs at installation location in 'logs' folder.
Switching Runtime at Execution Time
- Once you add multiple Runtime Configurations
- In Step View → click dropdown beside Run
- Select which runtime to use for the current execution
- Does not alter agent’s default runtime